


The Split

by IamTrashQueen



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, King Romulus theory, M/M, Orange Side - Freeform, Other, Sanders Sides - Freeform, Sympathetic Deceit, Sympathetic Remus, Triggers will be listed in chapters let me know if I miss anything, aromantic janus, king theory, pride theory, split
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamTrashQueen/pseuds/IamTrashQueen
Summary: The King splits, and Roman and Remus are tired of fighting. Neither wants to talk to each other. They end up realizing how lonely that is, and end up creating the other sides. When Virgil leaves and Roman splits again (this time into Pride and what is left of Roman), Virgil and Roman are both in for quite a ride.(Some of this is based on canon works, canon works are mentioned and are involved in the story. I also have some name theories going on. You can also find the same works on my tumblr @on-fic-writing-spree)This fic will still be updated, but is not complete. I’m writing it with a friend and I want their mental health to be at an absolute peak to keep them from burning out.
Kudos: 11





	1. The Split

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for the following: swearing, vague mentions alcohol consumption (nothing too intense), alluding to suicide (characters can’t and don’t die in this story, but can feel pained and can be weakened), manipulative behavior, relationship issues, lots of threats (including life threats, no one is ever killed in the story), usage of knives and other weapons, I’ll add more as necessary or as you guys let me know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please just note that no other chapters will be this short!! They get pretty lengthy actually. Chapters updated frequently (written 12 chapters in less than a week, you guys can expect quick updates).

The King had never been known for a good trait in all honestly. His nature was nothing less than arrogant, belittling, and apathetic. Reckless and ruthless, the King had managed to drag his people into practically any war possible. The wars were always bloodied tragedies. The King never cared, even as he watched his near-starving soldiers enter the battle field. It wasn’t a pretty scene, but the King was bloodthirsty as ever, always holding a grin when he towered over his fumbling foes. 

That being said, there wasn’t a single person that dared to criticize him. The King didn’t take kindly to anyone questioning him. 

Which is probably why no one questioned him stumbling through the halls at nearly three in the morning, slamming into them as he went. A few of the guards looked his way as he bellowed and moaned, but didn’t follow, nor ask. He had barely made it to the end of the hall before tripping and crashing down the stairs, quickly throwing his arm to grab the beaten wooden hand rail, to which he had only pulled down with him to the bottom of the stairs. 

It was a long moment before the King moved again, groaning as he shoved the wood off his leg, gripping his hair and tugging. It felt as though someone had cracked open his skull and was using the wedge of a hammer to pull it apart bit by bit. 

There was a flash of light, sharp and bright, the King shouting, and he was gone. Instead, on opposite sides of the emptied royal outfit sat two boys. They looked each other’s way, one wearing a purely white outfit, a crown made of twigs and wilted roses, while the other in all black, apart from his crown made of vines and thorns. They both had the instinct to flee, scurrying out of the scene. 

Most weren’t shocked to hear the King was missing; the King had been going crazy for a while now, talking about hearing voices and constantly shouting at them, but there was never anything there. The guards would swear the only trace the only thing they could find could find the next day was the King’d empty clothing left on the ground, the King himself having disappeared. 

Neither of the twins remembered it well. They remembered the agony, they remembered looking at each other, they remembered some of the bickering before the split, all in the King’s head. But the twins knew. Oh, how they knew.


	2. The Crowning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more actual interactions in the story. These first couple chapters are to establish some things.

It didn’t take long for the twins to realize they couldn’t keep hiding. The castle needed to be run... the people needed to be governed. The people were technically all creations of their own, in a way. The King had been part of each of them afterall—or they had been part of the King. They weren’t entirely certain. The people were figments, not in the slightest real. They were almost two dimensional, rarely having so much as a complex thought or belief. The King made them that way for a reason. Neither of them felt right taking over place as a ‘king.’ The phrase itself had long been tainted, and rang a bitter taste in their mouths. 

Despite the similarities and common goals, the twins made it a point not to talk to each other, or interact. Each unbeknownst to the other’s feelings, both, respectively, were planning how to take back the kingdom.   
\-   
It wasn’t long until one of them, the one with the wilted roses in his crown, had decided his place. He would take back the throne; it was his duty afterall. But first, he’d need a name. It had taken him a while to come up with it, having decided on ‘Roman’ derived from the word ‘romance.’ If there was one thing Roman wanted to be, it was loving. 

Holding many of the memories of the King, he swore he’d treat his people better. Which alone was plenty enough to fill them with absolute glee for the boy to fill a role as prince. 

Well, it certainly wasn’t long until his brother caught wind of the idea. It had spread like wildfire across the town. By now, the thorn-crowned boy had come up with his own name: Remus, from the Latin origin meaning ‘unknown.’ Remus swore he wouldn’t let Roman get away with ripping the whole kingdom out from under his feet.   
\-   
Only a few nights later, Roman had slipped himself into the throne, sitting tall and quietly as the crowd of townspeople, of whom were dressed in mere rags, cheered loudly for him. A guardsman held the crown, melted down from the previous ruler and the gems replaced (meant to represent both the traditional aspects of ruling a kingdom and the unfamiliarity of a new rule). Just as he was ready to set it onto Roman’s head, the door was harshly shoved open, Remus standing in the doorway. 

“You done yet?” Roman answered, now looking bored. He snapped his fingers twice, gesturing for someone in the crowd to come over, muttering something quietly to you and exchanging nods before looking at Remus. “This is my castle, and my kingdom now, Remus. However, just after the forest, there’s plenty of inhabited land. You’re welcome to take it for your own, along with your followers,” he remarked with a cocky look, as if he’d won. And he had, really. He knew not many would leave with Remus; Roman wanted to see Remus hurt, after everything he had to endure with him. 

Remus’s cheeks went slightly pink with embarrassment. He huffed and crossed his arms. “Good to know you’re the one who got his arrogance. You keep to your palace, I’ll keep to mine. You won’t have to worry about me,” he remarked, turning on his heel and storming out. 

It didn’t take too long for Remus to build up his palace, nor his kingdom. Despite Roman’s assumptions that most wouldn’t leave, about a third did. After Remus figured out how easy conjuring things could be, he had turned the rubbish around him into a real, liveable place. Or at least as real as they could get in the imagination. Though it didn’t take much longer for Remus to notice... it was really boring—not to mention lonely—to never have anyone to actually talk to. There was never any bickering, no actual friendship. Only loyalty and gratitude. He couldn’t help but miss having someone more authentic to talk to, someone whose reactions weren’t predetermined. 

Turns out Roman wasn’t feeling much different, not that he’d say it out loud. Both were too high and mighty to ever dare to admit they were wrong. It’d be better to live in solitude than to admit they were wrong to the other.


	3. New Traits and New Fates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly please suggest other titles, cause mine all suck. 
> 
> This takes place roughly two years after the Split!!! 
> 
> Also make note of genders and pronouns:   
> \- Janus is cisgender. He/him   
> \- Patton is cisgender. He/him   
> \- Logan is a demiboy. They/him   
> \- Roman is bigender. She/him   
> \- Remus is genderfluid. Pronouns vary. Occasionally goes by Ree (when feeling more feminine).   
> \- Virgil is agender. It/them. 
> 
> Frankly I add hcs like these a lot, so if you don’t like them, this probably isn’t the work for you.

Promptly after Remus jumped out from behind the couch, Deceit hissed and slammed the other’s face in with a book. “Can’t you ever not leave me be?” he muttered, going back to his book, which wasn’t all that interesting in the first place. It was just on the laws of the palace, many pages torn, others with smeared letters, or the occasional random fold or odd stain. Ree didn’t take good care of their things. 

Remus giggled and grinned, poking the side of Janus’s face. “Nope, no can do Dee-Dee!” they remarked gleefully. “You live in my castle, that means you live being annoyed by me,” they declared, leaning over the back of the couch, which had rips from them throwing their morningstar carelessly across it so many times. Truth be told, Ree always enjoyed Deceit’s remarks towards them. They weren’t predicted, they weren’t preprogrammed. Deceit was nothing like the other characters in their village. Still, they couldn’t help but want more than Deceit. One friend (if you could even call him that) was great, but could you imagine if they had two? It’d be a dream come true! Maybe they’d do something about it later. 

By the time Ree had snapped back to reality, Deciet had already been standing to head out of the room, only to be stopped with a few waves of Ree’s hand, pushing Deciet back into his spot. “You know what I like about you most, double-dee?” Deceit merely hummed in response, already knowing where this was going. Ree made it a point to never let Deceit think he wasn’t their absolute favorite, though they’d always give a different reason. “I absolutely love your attitude,” they complimented, resting their hands on top of Deceit’s head before resting their chin atop of that. “What boring book are you reading this time? You know I can conjure more, right? Or like... way more fun things to do.” 

Deceit folded the book shut on his finger so Ree could see the cover. “I suppose you could, but wouldn’t that defeat the fun of re-reading the same paragraph twelve times because have the words are scribbled out?” he quipped, earning a soft snicker from Ree. 

“Well let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be in my room, business to attend to. Being a duke sucks,” they finished, heading off towards his room. Deceit made some comment about if the other needed help, but Ree was already halfway down the hall by the time he finished his sentence.   
—  
Morality was special. Roman had decided this, without a doubt, that indeed, Morality was special. 

When Roman had heard about Remus’s new pal—Deceit, he thought—Roman just knew he had to have one too. Morality was a free spirit, clumsy and full of joy, constantly skipping throughout the castle and baking for Roman. 

Truthfully, Morality was the only one Roman would fully trust to make his food without someone to try it before he ate it, despite Roman’s the utter lack in ability to die. Not that his people knew that, of course, they knew very little. Only little parts here and there that Roman had practically programmed them to be aware of. Mindless creations, as the King once called them. Roman didn’t care much for the term ‘mindless,’ always thinking it to be a bit harsh to describe his lovely subjects. 

When Morality started talking—something about the butter?—Roman snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head some. “Huh? Sorry, what?” He asked, only for Patton to giggle and point to the butter. 

“Pass me the butter please,” he repeated, continuing to stir what was already incorporated into the pot. Roman passed over the butter, which Morality added after cutting into uneven cubes, humming softly while he worked. When finished, he wiped his hands on his apron, speaking again, “Should be done soon. Anything you’d like to do in the next four and a half minutes?” he asked, only half joking. 

Roman tapped his chin, pretending to think for a moment. “Nope, I got nothing.” Morality nodded and shrugged, a smile on his face as he hummed some and started to clean. This was a fairly average day for them. They often ended up doing activities like this together, baking, coloring, sometimes they’d even visit town together. A few times they went into shops—Morality would always tip as much as he could afford to even after Roman slipped in a pretty penny. 

The kingdom had seemed a lot more lively since Morality had been around, as though everyone was enlightened by his being. Roman truly could not imagine anyone to be more fit for helping to take care of the people, even though technically it wasn’t Morality’s job. He was like just that, always taking a parental role. Roman would sometimes joke that Morality was the ‘father of all’ to which Morality would laugh about, never minding the title in the slightest. He embraced it really. 

Soon enough the timer for the food went off, and Morality made plates before setting the table with them. The talked as they ate, Morality bringing up the rest of the tasks that Roman had to do in the day. Roman merely groaned and whined about how many duties he as a poor little prince had. Which gave Roman an idea—he didn’t enjoy the idea of one of the people in kingdom taking care of many of those tasks, since they only knew to take orders, really, it won’t help with the stress. But he could certainly do something a little different... create yet another trait. Yes, that would do just finely! He could have Morality as a good friend and a new trait—something logical perhaps—to take care of some things for him! 

After dropping his silverware with soft clanking onto the half-empty plate, Roman hopped up from his spot, thanking Morality for the food before hurrying off to start on his idea, a grin on his face as he sprinted through the halls and to his room. He locked the door behind him. Morality didn’t need to know of this of course. Roman had no clue what that would possibly do to him, if he knew he was a figment created by Roman. That would be something he must be careful about... for their safety, if nothing else.


	4. Useless and Paranoid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Deceit and Patton don’t remember their creation stories. Virgil soon won’t either, but for now, that memory is still fading.

It left Roman frustrated beyond belief. More than frustrated, honestly. It wasn’t exactly a feeling describeable, which could be due to the blur of many feelings at once. She was disappointed, angry, and overall regretful, and yet there still felt as though there was an emptiness to be filled. 

Her new creation hasn’t fixed that. 

She had quickly found out her new creation wasn’t all what she meant it to be. She wanted something something more than robotic, but less than emotionally-driven. Instead what she built seemed to do nothing but splutter out all the possible failures. In fact, they just wouldn’t stop! Roman had been muttering to herself, trying to figure out what she had done wrong, and the creature continued to splutter out possibilities, and Roman couldn’t hear herself think and—“SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up!” she shouted harshly, turning to look over her shoulder at the creature. “I made nothing but a failure of you. You’re worthless too me, and so are your words,” she growled out, starting to step back from her desk. “You’ll live among the people. I have no use for you here.” 

It was less that Roman absolutely hated it, and more so that she knew she had made a mistake. She couldn’t bare to continue to look at it every day. And whether she admitted it or not... she was a bit of a hopeless romantic. She was hoping to create something she could love, truly, and in more than the way she loved Morality. Morality was dear to her, but he simply just wasn’t the one. Whatever this freak was wasn’t either. There was no way she could love that—it was snarking, and rude, and overall absolutely nothing she could love. A reminder of her failures, that was all. 

Roman made move for the door, getting to the doorframe before speaking once more after clearing her throat, but not looking back at the trait. “Paranoia,” she decided. “Your trait is paranoia,” she confirmed, nodding once before walking forward, leaving the door open for the trait to leave through. 

Paranoia stood a few feet from the door, shaking some and clasping its hands together to keep them steadier. There were tears in its eyes as it watched Roman leave. Paranoia didn’t take the door; it knew better. It didn’t know its way around the castle and didn’t want to get lost, or have to ask Roman for help. It had no clue what Roman would do if she found it. Instead, it slipped out the window, which wasn’t far from the ground luckily. As soon as its feet hit the floor, it was sprinting, not recognizing that tears were rushing down its face as it ran. It ran until it couldn’t anymore, breaking down and sobbing somewhere in the forest. Paranoia, that’s all it would be...   
—   
Roughly a day later, Remus had made their way out of the castle and kingdom. They always enjoyed swinging through the forest, sometimes hunting a few animals, or destroying a few trees if they were angry. They carried their morningstar with them, dragging it in the dirt behind them, but threw it over their shoulder when they hear some odd and unfamiliar noises. Crying, they had decided, as they stepped closer and closer to the noise. When they had noticed someone crying, it had been a bit of confusion to them. None of the people ever made it to the forest. It was a boundary, and they definitely didn’t expect anyone to head over. Roman might’ve sent it, but they doubted it. 

They stepped a bit close to the person, who curled up more upon seeing the unfamiliar face, then looked frightened when it noticed the weapon. Remus’s eyes flickered to their morningstar before dropping it on the ground at their feet, then dropped themself down onto their knees in front of the person. “Hey,” they spoke softly, reaching out to wipe away a few tears from the person’s face, seeming unbothered by it flinching. “Did Roman send you here? You aren’t supposed to be here you know,” they continued gently. The person’s lip quivered more at the mention of Roman, and Remus decided to drop it rather than push it. If Remus needed to know, they were sure Deceit could get it out of the unknown person. “My name is Remus. Let’s go get you cleaned up, okay?” They asked, cracking a reassuring smile on their face, which looked grotesquely out of place, before standing, pulling up the other with them. They lifted their morningstar, carrying it away by dragging it on the ground again and leading the person towards the village and castle. 

It was a while before the person spoke. “Paranoia,” it croaked quietly. “She said I was Paranoia...” it mumbled. 

The gears in Remus’s head turned, and Remus connected a few things. Paranoia must be Roman’s creation, was first decided, then second was that Paranoia was unwanted. Third was... “You don’t like being paranoia, do you?” Paranoia shook its head in response. “Tell me about yourself a bit. Maybe we can find a better trait.” 

“Paranoia is useless. I’m not useless,” it mumbled, getting a bit bolder in the second half of the statements, but voice still muffled ever-so-slightly. “I don’t want to hurt anyone—I just don’t want them to get hurt—“ it really didn’t know much about itself yet, so most of what it said was vague. But it was enough for Remus. 

“Anxiety, maybe? You prepare people to take on dangers of they must, but don’t assume danger for no reason?” Remus lead. 

Paranoia—Anxiety—smiled some at that and nodded a bit. “Yeah, I like that. Anxiety. And you can call me... Virgil?” 

“Virgil, eh?” 

“Yeah, Virgil.”


	5. New Beginnings

Remus ended up carrying Virgil about halfway through the journey back to the castle. The poor thing hadn’t eaten yet and though they couldn’t exactly die, it still hurt, and Virgil was undoubtedly fatigued. He had tossed down his weapon at some point, knowing well that nobody would dare touch it. Deceit might, but Deceit never ventured that far out from the castle. 

Only when they got to the door did Remus set Virgil down, still leading them inside and to the couch, letting them take a seat. Remus ordered a few of his guards around, telling them to get a few things that Virgil would need. A few guards were quick to come back with some item, like a blanket, clean clothes, and water to drink. The thing that took the longest was food, just to make sure Virgil would have a nice warm meal. He allowed for Virgil to eat up the food they were served as well as drink up the water before letting them rest, throwing the blanket lightly on top of him. Remus considered stepping away but decided against it. Though he knew the guards wouldn’t act unless he told them too, there was a little bit of worry in him. Virgil wasn’t his creation. He was Roman’s, which means Roman might want him back, which meant a lot of concerns and questions that Remus wouldn’t be all that great at remembering to ask. And how would he explain this to Deceit? 

This was going to be a wreck, and Remus already knew it. 

He waited several hours for the other to wake up. Virgil woke up glancing around and looking a little afraid again. That wasn’t much of a shocker. Deceit woke up afraid the first few days too, as the memory of the first few days came and went for him. It wouldn’t surprise Remus if Virgil was the same. “Good morning sleeping beauty,” he murmured, grabbing the outfit and towel that had been set aside for Virgil. “We can talk after you get cleaned up, alright?” 

“Where am I? Who are you?” they glanced back at their own hands, flipping them a few times with their eyebrows furrows. “Who am I...?” 

“My castle, Remus, and you’re Virgil. We can talk more when you’re cleaned up,” he repeated, helping the other to their feet. Virgil nodded numbly and shuffled in the direction that Remus lead him to. After Remus lead Virgil to the bathroom, he stepped away to go take care of a bedding situation for them. Virgil had spent a few minutes trying to figure out how the stupid knobs on the shower worked, and got cleaned up. It was a nice feeling to be clean. They spent a few minutes looking into the mirror until there was a knock at the door. “You almost done in there?” Remus called. Virgil didn’t give a real answer, instead just opening the door after scooping up his old dirty clothes. Remus shook his head some and took the clothes, tossing them back into the bathroom before leading Virgil away. “Don’t worry about the mess you make, okay? I have servants a-plenty.” Though Virgil nodded, they knew they wouldn’t stop cleaning up the little messes they could. It was just the polite thing to do. 

Soon enough they approached one of the bedrooms. Remus had made it a point to not put it far from his nor Deceit’s. “You’ll sleep here. I’m just across the hall, Deceit is down it. You haven’t met Deceit yet, you will soon,” he explained, stepping into Virgil’s room and taking a seat in a chair near the desk. “We can fix it up to your liking, but this is your room now. Now what would you like to talk about?” 

Virgil took careful steps into the bedroom, running their fingers lightly across the sheets, then bed frame, and so on. “Thank you,” they muttered dumbly. “I... uh... don’t know? I just don’t understand a lot of what’s going on.” 

“Well let’s see here,” Remus breathed out, tapping his fingers lightly on his knees as he looked up at the ceiling. It was made of glass, nice to see all the stars. “Your name is Virgil. You’re a trait, like me and Deceit. There’s others too, but we don’t talk about them,” Remus explained, looking back to Virgil. “We talked a bit before, you likely don’t remember, but we decided your trait was Anxiety?” 

Nodding along some, Virgil spoke again. “Does Deceit have a name? Or do they just go by a trait?” 

“Deceit prefers to be unnamed. He liked the anonymity,” Remus answered. “Deceit goes by he/him, my pronouns are a mess and a half but they/them are preferred. How about you?” 

Virgil thought for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure yet. Maybe just use they/them and we’ll figure it out later? If that isn’t too much of a bother for you—“ 

“It’s not a bother in the slightest. Now come on, I’ll introduce you to Deceit.” Remus stood, heading for the door, where Virgil was quick to follow, not wanting to be left behind. As they walked through the castle, Virgil’s looks shifted when they passed guards and servants, clearly still not at ease, but looking a lot more ready to respond rather than just curl up. Remus know Virgil wasn’t quite who they were going to be, their trait still sinking in, along with their fragmented personality forming. It wouldn’t be long though, he was sure, with how easy Virgil was forgetting previous events. 

Not bothering to knock, Remus stepped inside the room, throwing the door opens and flashing a grin at Deceit. “Oh Dee-Dee~,” he sing-songed, “we have a visitor!” 

Deceit looked startled for only a moment before his gaze hardened on Remus. “Can you ever knock? Who is it, anyway?” he asked, going back to embroidering something on a shirt. A little double headed snake. How cute. 

“Deceit, I would like for you to meet Virgil. I found him in the village not long ago. He’s a trait, like you,” Remus explained, gently pushing Virgil forward. Virgil looked uncomfortable at best, standing stiff and still a few feet from Deceit. 

Frowning, Deceit dropped his thread and needle in his lap, along with the shirt. “I don’t bite too hard. Come on over,” Deceit offered, gesturing with a wave towards himself for Virgil to come closer. 

Virgil did come forward, albeit still looking wary, and clearly ready to run at any second as they eyed the exits. Their eyes flickered across Deceit—trying to analyze, trying to understand. “Why the gloves?” they blurted out, waving vaguely towards them. 

Deceit sighed softly, then looked to Virgil with a tired smile. “I suppose we’re all friends here, right?” he murmured before slipping off his left glove, revealing some scales that coated the area between Deceit’s thumb and first finger, trailing to his wrist. “I often wear makeup to cover the scales on my face, but it’d be rather annoying to put it on all of my skin everyday, you know? So gloves, long sleeves... all that. Plus, they get colder than the rest of me usually.” After finishing talking, he slipped his glove back on. 

Virgil nodded along before looking over Deceit one more time, then looked at the rest of the room. Their eyes ended on Deceit’s hands, which had gone back to embroidering. “Can I help? That can’t be easy with gloves,” they offered, stepping over and sitting in front of Deceit’s bed. 

“I can teach you if you’d like,” Deceit offered. “I’ve had my fair practice.” 

Smiling fondly at the two getting along, Remus leaned against the doorway. “I’ll see myself out then, you guys seem to be getting along,” Remus murmured, stepping away from the door as Deceit began to explain what to do to Virgil, at some point getting Virgil to actually sit up on the bed rather than beside it. 

They’d get along well, Remus decided.


	6. Roman’s A Himbo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have y’all figured out I suck at chapter names?

Roman’s next attempt had been a lot more successful. His creation, the Logic figment, had been starting to wake up. They talked only a small bit on the first day, Logic mostly resting. Before even a full day was up, Logic had already seemed completely unaware of his creation. Maybe he just didn’t care about it. 

Though Roman had a few ideas in mind for his new creation, and he certainly wanted to get to know the creation better, he had decided to first start off with the things he needed out of Logic first. “... So overall I need you to fill out these papers, report back to me with summaries, and assess the needs of the townspeople. From there, I can take care of the rest,” he ordered. 

Logic nodded promptly, and stood up. “Then I suppose I should get to it, correct?” he asked, though he was already heading to grab the papers. 

Roman grinned softly. “Absolutely. I can show you around in a bit. I’ll bring you lunch and you can work while you eat,” he answered, clapping delightedly. Now of course, this wasn’t all Logic was going to be for, but for the first few days, it was best to keep Logic structured. He’d develop more to himself, and gain more of his own functionality. Logic went to work as Roman slipped off to go get lunch, passing by Morality who was making a sandwich. 

“I know that look. What’s with the grin Princey?” Morality perked up. “What’s he like? Is he cute?” 

“Oh hush,” Roman mumbled, flustering lightly as he started to make Logic a sandwich. “It’s nothing like that. He’s cute, yes, but there’s not much I know about him. Only time will tell,” he murmured, his smile never ceasing as he spread some mayo on the sandwich. Roman knew he couldn’t be in love so easily, but it was nice to have the hope of falling in love.   
—   
Logic picked up to his tasks quickly, and he was rather good at them—much better than Roman would ever be. He slipped by the throne room, handing over a folder with a couple packets to Roman. “I went ahead and organize your schedule for the next week, so you’ll be able to address any problems in your kingdom efficiently,” he stated before heading to step back out. 

“Wait—don’t go yet,” Roman stated, frowning softly. “Wouldn’t you like to stay a bit? We can have some tea, and chat some?” He offered, looking a bit shy. It was odd for Roman, really, to ever look shy, but Logic couldn’t help but find it endearing. 

“I really must be going. There’s still some more to do...” he started, glancing as Roman looked disappointed in his reaction, then continued on, “But I suppose we could after, right? It should only take me an hour or so to finish the work.” 

Perking up at that, Roman nodded happily. “Sounds like a lovely plan! I’ll make sure to have my servants whip us up some snacks and tea before then.” 

Roman absolutely talked Logic’s ear off during their little tea party, excited to tell the other a lot and excited to ask a lot. He’d realize he had been rambling, would mutter an apology, then go back to rambling. Logic found it a little annoying, but overall didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t like he knew what to say, and he could tell Roman was just trying to get to know him. 

Neither had a clue where this was going—if it even was going anywhere—but they found they rather enjoyed each other’s company, even when they found themselves bickering playfully with each other.


	7. Hit It Virgy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vergalicious definition make the dark sides go loco—

Virgil integrated into the little family over the course of a couple ways, albeit with some hesitation at first. As it fully forgot over the first few days about its creation, Virgil became more and more comfortable, especially with Ree and Deceit being so welcoming. Ree was rather glad Virgil forgot about Roman and the forest so quickly, and even more glad that Roman didn’t try to take Virgil back. She wouldn’t give up Virgil easily, she knew that, not after she saw the state Virgil was in when she met it. 

Twirling his blond hair up into a hairtie, Deceit finished up getting ready to go out. Ree had been able to convince the two to come with her out to the kingdom, Virgil agreeing more easily since it wanted to know about the land it lived in. Deceit didn’t like leaving the castle often, but he didn’t mind it as much when Ree went with him. Besides, he wanted to see how Virgil reacted to everything. Ree opened the door, leaning against the doorframe, wearing a loose fitting cut off shirt that said ‘BITE ME’ on it, along with some black shorts that went about two inches up from mid thigh. “Ready to go Dee-Dee?” she asked. Deceit nodded, swinging his hair back and forth some to check and make sure he put the hair tie in tight enough. “Let’s go get Virgy then,” she said, heading off to go get the other. 

Ree didn’t take long to round up the others, pushing them out the door and into the carriage. After about twenty minutes, Ree climbed out first, going to help Deceit out, only for Deceit to hop out on his own. He lifted Virgil by its waist and set it onto the ground, letting the driver know when to be back by the rather large fountain that marked the middle of the village. Sometimes for holidays, Ree would replace the water with something else—blood (nobody knows if it’s fake or real) for Halloween, eggnog for Christmas, that kind of thing. They strolled across the village, choosing random places to head into. 

They had stepped into stores, trying on sunglasses, putting floppy hats on each other and jokingly blowing kisses while running their own little fashion shows. They threw random toys to each other, tossing around little bean bags and such, and picking up snacks to eat while they walked into other places. The group had continued to skip in and out of different places, buying much more than they really should’ve been carrying. 

Towards the end of the night, they headed into a bar that had signs advertising a night of karaoke. Ree tossed all her stuff on a random table, ordering a drink. Deceit couldn’t help checking at Ree, putting down his stuff a little more neatly. “As if that chick needs any liquid courage,” he joked lightly, enjoying the way Virgil giggled in response. “Come on, let’s go sign up for a song or two.” 

They had spent the night doing plenty of songs, since the bar was far from crowded and not too many jumped up to start doing karaoke with them. Ree had decided on doing ‘Fergicious’ with Virgil, just to say ‘hit it virgy’ and Ree truly thinks that is the height of her comedy, the absolute peak. Deceit had chosen something a bit more passionate and less laughable to sing with Virgil, which ended up being ‘Take a Bow’ by Rihanna. The last song had been Remus and Deceit together, which led to ‘Partners in Crime’ by Set It Off. It was a glorious selection really, and they had a lot of fun, even when one of them would mess up the words, laugh into the microphone then pick up again later. They had strolled out late, laughing as they made their way back to the fountain. The carriage had already been waiting for them, and they all climbed in, laughing and talking about dumb things they had done, making fun of how they sang certain notes, and just overall being silly the whole way back to the castle. When they all got back, they parted ways, heading to each of their rooms.   
—  
Virgil had mostly gotten comfortable in its new room, which was good... up until it realized that also meant that the room would be affected by it. It rarely slept, constantly staying up late and not being able to help but think horrible things—it didn’t help that it was still Remus’s castle. Intrusive thoughts and anxiety just... didn’t mix well. It’s why it made it so hard hard for Remus to comfort it, though he tried. 

Deceit made his own efforts though, that Virgil often got to wake up to. It wasn’t sure how Deceit ever got into its room, but Virgil recognized Deceit’s swirly handwriting (mostly because it wasn’t Remus’s nor his own) very well at this point. Little notes ended up scattered in random places, reminders to take care of itself, along with other reminders that it wasn’t hated, or unloved, nobody was mad at it, etcetera. 

But occasionally Virgil would wake up with a sticky note on top of its outfit and and a nerf gun sitting next to it, a ‘Good luck!’ with a heart written next to it. Game on, Virgil had decided, grinning as he picked up the nerf gun. It didn’t bother to change out of its pajamas, opening its door and glancing down the hall for the other two, before stepping out and walking through the castle to find them. 

Being quiet on its feet, Virgil had gotten the first few shots, on Janus and Remus. Remus had retaliated by shooting randomly across the room, hitting more lamps and walls than people. Virgil ducked behind the couch, giggling as Remus stayed out in the open, being shot at by both Deceif and Virgil. Soon Virgil ran out of bullets, scrambling across the floor to get a few, grabbing any it was shot at with. When Virgil had managed to shoot back at Deceit, Deceit had jokingly threw himself back on the couch, complaining about how he was dying, and it was all Virgil’s fault, ending with “blech, I’m dead now,” and sticking out his mouth. Remus and Virgil exchanged looks before both shooting at Deceit, watching as he jumped from when the nerf bullets flicked his forehead. “Shooting a dead person is very rude you know,” Deceit grumbled. 

“So is talking during the funeral,” Remus joked, “yet the corpse can’t seem to shut up.” He looked over to Virgil, a grin on his face. “Let’s go get dirt to coved him in.” Virgil laughed, following Remus out. Of course, it would try to convince Remus from actually doing so (Virgil knew how much effort Deceit put into his clothing), but it was fun to follow anyway.


	8. Virgil’s First Goodbye

Thomas had been accurately aware of the sides existing. He understood nothing about them, and hadn’t tried to really yet. But at some point, Roman and Patton had popped up, offering ideas to Thomas for a new video series. It gave Thomas the time to evaluate his decisions, learn more about himself, as well as create family-friendly content. Of course, Virgil had listed all the million reasons they shouldn’t do it, but they were ignored in the end. 

The sides had played their roles, some more enthusiastic than others. But it wasn’t long into the series that Thomas had a major breakup. Now of course, Thomas had had his breakups before. 

But never with morality actually being there. 

Morality took the breakup... pretty hard. Roman was able to be mostly okay with it, still upset of course, but it was nothing new. She had all the memories of previous breakups too. Morality didn’t. It was behind the scenes when Morality had decided on a name, quiet and fidgeting while he was taking to Roman. “I think I want to be called Patton...” he had decided on. “I don’t just want to be morality, or the dad guy anymore. I want a name too.” 

Roman already knew why for the name decision. It was just part of... wanting to feel real, honestly. When something tragic happened, that seemed to be when the sides would feel the most real. Of course, she accepted Patton’s new name with ease, though she had to correct herself every so often. Patton didn’t reveal his real name for a while though, partially because he was cut off, or because it just didn’t get brought up. 

Patton wasn’t the only one who changed in the group either. Virgil, as it played in more and more videos, began to notice how much it wanted to be like the others, be a part of them. But Roman seemed to make it a solid deal that she would not tolerate it, not for a second. She didn’t want Virgil coming back. It was too much for her to have to look at Virgil knowing it was just a shitty version of Logic. A mistake, a mistake that Roman had made, and Virgil didn’t even know it, though Virgil certainly got the idea that it wasn’t wanted. 

So between Patton’s first real heartbreak, and the tensing situation between Roman and Virgil, Logic was really the only one left unaffected thus far into the series. Deceit and Remus were mostly affected simply by... Virgil’s obvious desire to go back to the others. Deceit didn’t know it was really ‘going back’ nor did Virgil, but Remus knew why. 

Remus didn’t know what hurt more, knowing that Virgil wanted to leave, or knowing that Roman wouldn’t dare to even try to get it back. Both tore Remus apart. On one hand, of course he wanted Virgil to stay! He didn’t trust that Roman wouldn’t hurt him again. He didn’t want to see Virgil get hurt, especially not with all it took to get Virgil to where it was a now. But Roman didn’t even want Virgil back, and Remus could really only imagine what that had to be doing to Virgil.   
—   
Virgil stood in the doorway to Deceit’s room, fidgeting slightly. Deceit rarely left his door open, but every so often, he’d know when something was off, and leave it open, as if to say he was there to listen. Being honest, Deceit didn’t want to. He knew, of course he knew, but he wished he didn’t. And to hear it from Virgil would only cement it, only hurt him worse. 

Still, he has his priorities, and Virgil was certainly his biggest one. 

So without so much as looking up from his spot, he had told Virgil to come in and take a seat. Virgil stepped into the room cautiously, taking a spot near Deceit’s bed, but not on it. Which was odd, Virgil hadn’t done that since it had first met Deceit. “I know something’s bothering you. Talk about it?” Deceit prompted, biting his tongue after, his fangs piercing his tongue. He could taste blood. 

Continuing to fidget, Virgil took a breath before responding. “I want to leave,” it murmured quietly before glancing up at Deceit. “I want to leave, and go be with them, and Patton made an offer, and I don’t know? Maybe I can help Thomas more that way too?” 

Shaking his head some, Deceit sighed softly. “You don’t have to justify yourself, Virgil. It’d hurt less if you just left,” he answered. He didn’t really believe that in the slightest. He felt like Virgil owed them some sort of explanation, but he did know it’d hurt more to hear it. “You should talk to Remus before you leave. He knows you’re leaving. He’ll be happy for you. He just wants you to be happy you know...” Deceit knew it was a bit of guilt-tripping, but dammit, Virgil was going to leave them! Virgil should know it’s going to hurt. Deceit stayed as calm as he could, but honestly, he was angry. And could you blame him? He and Remus had done everything for him, and Virgil was just going to leave at the drop of a hat. Virgil gave a quiet nod in response before heading to go find Remus, hearing Deceit’s door slam behind it. It tensed for a moment before letting out a breath and heading towards Remus’s room. 

It’s okay, it convinced itself, hand resting on the doorknob to Remus’s door, they’ll understand. And they would, of course, but that didn’t mean they’d be happy about it. It pushed the door open, its eyes catching Remus’s. “Hey,” it breathed out. 

Remus shifted to put their guitar to the side. They had been learning for a just a couple months now, but oddly had mostly kept it to themself. “I know what you want to talk about,” he said, flashing a sad smile at the other. “It’s okay. I’m not going to stop you. I’ll make sure Deceit doesn’t either... but I think there’s something you need to know before you go,” they murmured. “Come sit down, we’ll talk a bit, okay?” 

Virgil let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding in, stepping over towards Remus. Remus gestured for Virgil to sit on the bed before Remus stood up out of their seat and moved to sit on the bed next to it. “I guess it’s a good thing I blurt things out because I don’t have the slightest clue where to start with this,” they muttered. “Virg, what’s the earliest memory you have?” they asked. 

Thinking for a moment, Virgil took a second to respond. “Deceit teaching me something about clothes. I don’t remember what though, but I kept stabbing my finger with the needle if I remember correctly,” Virgil answered, smiling some at the memory. “Why?” it asked. 

“There’s a few days worth of memories you don’t remember,” Remus looked back to Virgil, and they couldn’t help it. They knew they couldn’t tell Virgil the truth, it’d hurt Virgil way too much, and Virgil deserved to be happy. So they came up with a quick lie. “Deceit and I aren’t exactly like you. We always knew you’d find a different place that you’d fit in better. If that’s with the others, we want you to go, to be happy, okay? Just promise me you won’t come back if you don’t want to,” they decided on. They couldn’t tell Virgil that Roman never wanted it. Besides, Remus had seen the look on Virgil’s face, and it wasn’t hard to figure out Virgil liked Roman more than it should’ve. Remus was sure that was Roman’s fault, and they were even more sure that it’d kill Virgil to know Roman never really wanted it. 

Virgil cracked a slight smile at Remus’s supportive attitude, though they were certainly confused by it. They wrapped their arms around Remus tightly, tearing up slightly. “Thank you, Ree, for everything,” they choked out. 

Remus wrapped around the other tightly. They didn’t know how many moments longer they’d have like this, and the thought itself made Remus want to cry, but Remus knew better. They could save it for when Virgil left. They wouldn’t let Virgil feel guilty for wanting to leave.


	9. Before You Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I’ve been listening to this song too much? Cause I’ve been kind of obsessed. 
> 
> I’ve practically got a whole playlist of a songs for this book tbh 
> 
> This song is NOT mine I just decided it was fitting

They had one last night to spent together before Virgil would be leaving. 

Pity that this was the way they spent it. 

Currently, Virgil and Deceit had been at each other’s throat. “I don’t get it, Dee, why can’t you just be happy for me? I would’ve been happy for you!” Virgil shouted. 

“Janus, Virgil, it’s Janus now,” he remarked, his voice steady but clearly bitter as he crossed his arms and looked away from Virgil. “Of course you’d be happy for me. You don’t want me around, you’d be glad to see me go—“ 

“Now you know that’s not what I mean!” 

“Do I though?” Janus asked. “Do I really? Because you seemed pretty eager to leave. I can’t say I blame you, but the least you could do is be honest about what this is really about,” he added, grabbing his wine glass off the table, swirling the drink in it before sipping at it. 

“What do you want me to say Janus?” Virgil said, clearly frustrated as it rested its thumb and first two fingers against their forehead for a short second, pacing a few steps before throwing back down its arm. “That I’m sorry? That I’m not leaving you because I hate you? That I still care about you guys? Face it, Jan, there’s not any words you could hear or that I could say to make it better.” 

“Say you’ll stay,” Janus answered quietly, and quickly realized that was a hopeless endeavor, even if he so badly wished Virgil would. “Or at least tell me what I did to make you leave,” he added, more strongly this time, before throwing his head back and drinking the rest of what was in his glass. He’d need something stronger, he was sure. 

Virgil frowned at Janus’s reaction, sighing softly and taking a seat in the spinning chair next to a nearby desk, putting their head in their hands. “You know I can’t stay...” 

“Why not, Virgil? Just tell me why,” Janus begged. 

“I don’t know, Janus. Maybe I just like Roman a bit too much, or Patton is just so nice, and Logan is level-headed and fun to argue with and there’s a comfort in knowing he’ll at least practically always be right—I want to be there, for something, for nothing, I don’t know. But something tells me I belong there.” 

“You belong here, Virgil,” he argued quietly, turned away from the other with his shoulders hunched up, his hands gripping the table across the room from Virgil. His face was red and he knew he had a few tears he had let slip, but Virgil didn’t need to see that. 

Virgil sighed in response, eyes flickering across Janus’s appearance. Janus was back to wearing the gloves. He rarely did around Virgil. “Then I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” it added finally, standing up and stepping out of the room. Janus made no protest to keep the other there. 

It shouldn’t blame Janus for being mad about it leaving; it already expected that. It knew it hurt him. It made its way to Ree’s room, taking a deep breath before stepping in. Ree had clearly been waiting for Virgil, even spots cleared for them to sit and talk. The rest of the room was a mess still. “Janus is mad,” it mumbled, heading over and sitting down. 

“Deceit chose a name?” Ree asked, then shook her head some, that wasn’t important at the moment. “I’d expect so. Don’t let it stop you Virgil,” she offered. “I had something planned for you, I swear I did, I just... think it’s better if we forget about it though. I think it’ll just upset you before you leave, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I want you to be happy,” she rambled, smiling weakly at Virgil. She went to open her mouth to speak before Virgil shook their head at her. 

“No, no. I know you’ve been planning something. I wanna see it before I leave. I don’t know when the next chance I’ll get to is. I don’t know how they’ll feel about me visiting or anything... if I’m going to leave tonight, let me have the piece of mind that you got everything you wanted to out, okay?” Virgil answered, taking Ree’s hands into their own reassuringly. 

“There’s too much I need to say and too much you need to hear, but I fear I’ll do nothing but hurt you,” Ree admitted quietly. It wasn’t often she left herself looking so vulnerable, especially not emotionally. It wasn’t just blurting it all out without any care; there was something more here. 

Virgil gave her hands a little squeeze for reassurance. “Then lets start with what you can, okay?” 

Ree mumbled an ‘alright’ and got up from her spot, heading to go grab her guitar out of the corner of the room. “Just promise not to make fun of me too much if I mess up the notes,” she joked softly, coming to sit back down. She grabbed her guitar pick off the nightstand nearby, styled by a green and black spiral. Taking a moment to make sure the guitar was tuned, she played a few notes before placing her hands correctly on the strings, pressing some fingers to a couple frets as she started. 

She started to sing after taking a breath. “I fell by the wayside like everyone else. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself. Our every moment, I start to replace, 'cause now that they're gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say,” she started singing, paying close attention to her fingers. She needed to make sure she got this right, and besides, she knew she couldn’t dare to look at Virgil. 

Virgil paid close attention to the words, knowing that Ree wouldn’t be wasting her last bit of time with this song if it didn’t mean anything to her. They took their moments to analyze, but it was rather hard to keep up completely as Ree continued. 

“When you hurt under the surface, like troubled water running cold, well, time can heal, but this won't,” she sang, barely glancing up and towards the side, still not daring to look at Virgil. She got a little louder as she sang the chorus, her voice wavering ever so slightly, but she made it a point to ignore it. “So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better? If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather. So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting? It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless. So, before you go...” There were a few strings played before she continued again. “Was never the right time, whenever you called, went little by little by little until there was nothing at all. Our every moment, I start to replay, but all I can think about is seeing that look on your face,” she sang softer, looking back to the actual guitar for a second before re-singing the pre-chorus as well as chorus, looking back to Virgil for a few seconds at a time, choking up every time she did so. She knew Virgil couldn’t understand a lot of it now. She’d prefer if they never did. But she knew they would, one day, and that day wouldn’t be long from now. Her voice got stronger, yet more rough as she started the bridge. “Would we be better off by now if I’d have let my walls come down? Maybe, I guess we'll never know. You know, you know..” She finished by repeating the chorus, a little softer to begin, and her voice breaking on the last line, looking back at Virgil as she finished. 

It was a bad idea. She couldn’t help tearing up. She quickly tossed her guitar to the side and wiped her eyes, taking a second to breathe, and flashing a smile. “Smile or you’ll cry, am I right?” she mumbled with a weak laugh, wiping her eyes again. 

“I get a lot of it... I do, but did you mean every word?” Virgil asked quietly. Ree only nodded in response. Virgil said a soft, mostly breathed, ‘okay’ before pulling Ree into a hug. They didn’t make any comment as a few tears dropped onto Virgil’s sweatshirt, only hugging Ree a little tighter. 

“Do me a favor, Virg? Leave late tonight, and don’t tell Jan or me. Don’t let either of us stop you, okay?” she murmured. Virgil nodded. 

Virgil kept their promise, leaving late, and by the morning, Ree and Janus had already felt the regret seeping in. 

Virgil was gone.


	10. The Split (Reprise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you really think I could come up with a title? Nope.

There it was again, that incessant nagging in the back of Roman’s head. Truth be told, he’d done his best to ignore it, it’s been there for almost an impossible amount of time now, but it still managed to drive him nuts. Usually only about as loud as a whisper, today the buzzing was consuming his every thought, and no matter whom he spoke to or what he did it was still there, almost speaking over his own voice at times. But he could fight it. He knew why it was there and it was his own fault. A prince doesn’t ask for help, he solves his issues on his own, and this was just another one of his many “tasks” to attend to. And yet, something felt off about it today. Even something so simple as standing to his feet made his skin crawl, as if there was something else besides his own soul within it. But that was foolish to think, a child’s fear. He was not weak, he could not afford to be. At least, Roman hoped it was true. 

The voice really seemed to criticize Roman’s every move, telling him to do this better, or do that differently, and why can’t Roman just let him do it! Which was odd because it was still Roman, wasn’t it? After hearing that Virgil would be coming back, the voice was not happy, making harsh comments about how Roman should just tell Virgil to pack it up. He’d done it once, why couldn’t he do it again? 

Virgil had strolled in with their suitcase in hand, giving a greeting to both Logic and Patton. Patton had greeted with a hug, which Virgil had to take a moment to accept before smiling and hugging back. Clearly, they had been crying, their eyes puffy and face still pink. Virgil had considered going to talk to Roman, but didn’t know if it’d be the best choice. They weren’t stupid; they knew Roman didn’t want them there. They could ask a little later where their room was. 

Roman… was in the middle of a dilemma. He heard the voice’s stern yelling to dismiss Virgil, but he forcefully put it down. He was older now, more aware of how he could affect others, Roman wasn’t about to push someone away and become the bad guy. Besides, Virgil was his, and there was a part of himself that had always nagged with worry about how Virgil was doing, if they were even still alive. But he wasn’t stupid, he knew Virgil must have some sort of sore feelings towards him. Honestly, he’d feel the same way after being treated so horribly. So, in spite of the angry voice yelling within his mind, Roman decided to wait for Virgil to come to him, not wanting to push them outside of their comfort zone anymore than he had to. I mean, the poor thing just left the only family they ever knew, that alone was a lot to deal with. 

Patton had been quick to hop to making some breakfast for Virgil, though it was only about five in the morning. Virgil had left very late at night and had arrived at the castle only roughly four hours later. Logic and Virgil spent some time chatting, and Virgil found the more time he spent, the more time he really felt like he belonged. 

Too bad the voice didn’t think he belonged in the slightest. 

The voice did anything but halt, constantly complaining that Virgil was nothing—that paranoia was nothing. A mere mistake, like Roman’s brother and Janus. They weren’t helpful, all they did was weight Thomas down, and drag Roman’s ideas down with them. 

“You really need to shut up,” Roman muttered to himself through gritted teeth, finally making up his mind to at least go check up on their newest ‘roommate’ of sorts. “Their name is Virgil, not Paranoia. That name means nothing now, so stop acting like it does,” he added, barely noticing the fact that Roman was arguing with himself. He peeked down the hall where Virgil’s new room would be, and as he walked up, took a deep breath. “Don’t fuck this up,” he thought as he knocked. ‘You’re just as useless as it,’ the voice had snarked, but went quiet as Roman headed towards Virgil. The voice could argue more later, but it knew it was practically stupid to waste any energy here. 

Logic was the one to open the door. “Prince Roman, please come in,” Logic stated, flashing a polite smile and gesturing for the other to step into the room. Virgil gave a tiny wave from where they sat, but was half expecting for Roman to say something about how they shouldn’t have come. They really hoped Roman wouldn’t though. They liked it here, and they didn’t want to leave. But it was Roman’s castle, and they wouldn’t overstay their welcome if Roman didn’t want them here. 

Not wanting the moment to become anymore awkward than it could possibly be, Roman flashed a smile at them. “I’m glad to see you, Virgil. I’m sure you’re tired and there’s probably some things you want to talk about, but right now it’s best that you rest and get adjusted. I’m sure these two are more than capable of taking care of you,” he added. In truth, Roman wasn’t sure how to feel about Virgil coming back now that the two were face-to-face, but at the very least he wasn’t about to embarrass them. 

Virgil couldn’t help letting out a little breath, their tense posture softening some. “Yeah, that’d be appreciated, actually. I haven’t slept yet... I promise Ree I wouldn’t leave a trace when I left,” they admitted. “Where’s my room—or bed—or just whenever I’m going to be sleeping? I don’t want to inconvenience you too much about it.” Virgil and Logic had mostly just been spending time in Logic’s room. 

Patton stepped in with some pancakes, handing them over to Virgil. “I’ll make some for the rest of you guys in a few hours, but for now, I think the rest of us should be resting,” Patton piped up. 

“I actually have a place set up for you down the hall, if you want to get situated now.” Was Roman about to acknowledge that it was what would have been Virgil’s original room? Absolutely not. If he was lucky enough, Virgil wouldn’t even notice. Roman frowned slightly, “And well, you’ll have all the time in the world to rest now that you’re here.” Roman stepped back slightly and gestured to the door as if to guide them, “I’ll have my staff fix your things for you, if you’d like?” 

“No, no, it’s alright, I got it,” Virgil assured, pulling their suitcase along while balancing the pancake plate in their other hand. They were mostly nervous about possibly dropping the plate, knowing that it’d just cause a mess. If Virgil was going to fit in here, they’d have to be careful not to stand out. They followed Roman to the room, meanwhile the voice spoke up for once, making a comment about how Paranoia should be sleeping on the floor. When Virgil got to the room, they put the suitcase towards the corner of the room before sitting on their bed. They took a smile bite of their food, but mostly wanted to wait until Roman left, not wanting to be rude. “Thank you, Roman,” they murmured softly. 

Roman winced at the whisper and willed it to shut up, keeping a careful eye on Virgil. He took his cue to leave, saying, “Of course, let me know if you need anything, alright?” She tried her best for a smile before shutting the door. As soon as the ‘click’ of the door handle was heard she pressed her hands against her skull, wincing slightly. “Do you ever shut up?” she whispered harshly to the voice.

“I will,” they wouldn’t. Virgil wanted for Roman to step out before taking another bite of its pancakes, looking around the room. It looked rather similar to Logan’s except a lot of the accents were purple instead of blue. Virgil found they rather liked the purple. They stood up, glancing around and opening drawers and closets, just to see everything that was there. Occasionally they’d go back to eating a few bites, then look through something else. After a bit though, they grew wary and headed to sleep. 

‘No, I don’t, but I will if you just get rid of it,’ the voice answered. ‘Get rid of it or I will myself, and I won’t be so nice.’ 

“Gods you are insufferable!” She grumbled, walking away from Virgil’s door and towards the throne room. “What is your problem with them? I thought we agreed we were going to be nice to Virgil. After the shit they must have been through, it’s only right. Besides,” Roman added, finally reaching his desk and glancing over a few papers, “What are you going to do about it? You’re just a stupid voice, you have no say over me!” she snapped. 

‘We didn’t agree on anything!’ the voice answered, louder now. ‘You decided, I didn’t. But I won’t just be a voice, not for long, enjoy being a princess while you still can’ the voice added. There was a short second of silence before there was a harsh tug on Roman’s body, throwing her into the wall. ‘You’re not the only one with control you know. If you want me gone, you’ll have to get rid of me.’ 

A sharp pain shot across Roman’s shoulder as she felt her body betray her and slam against the wall. Her blood ran cold and her head was spinning with questions. Finally speaking out loud, Roman asked, “What the fuck was that, and what the fuck are you?” The strange skin crawling sensation was back, and for whatever reason, it felt more like burning in Roman’s eyes. 

‘Well I can certainly say I’m not you,’ it answered. ‘Truthfully, I don’t know what I am. I guess we’ll see, right?’ It threw Roman to the ground in front of her, only allowing for her to catch herself out of mercy. ‘Just let go Roman. Let me take over. I can be out of your head in a breeze, but you have to let me... or we could do this the hard way,’ the voice convinced. 

“Absolutely not!” she shouted, shakily pushing herself up to a kneeling position on the floor. “Whatever you are, there is no way I’d ever allow you to use my body! At least if you’re in my head you can’t hurt anyone else, and it’s staying like that.” Roman slowly stood up, leaning back against the wall for stability, “I’m not giving you another choice; either shut up or go back to being nothing, that’s all you get.” 

There was laughter at first, dark and low and sinister. It had to resonate in every part of Roman’s body straight to the core. ‘Oh but Roman, I’m not nothing. Like I said... easy or hard, I’ll get my way. But don’t worry, your body will be useless to me soon,’ it remarked once more before throwing Roman back against the wall, then pulling Roman to her feet and dragging her to her room. It didn’t bother to make Roman shut the door—why waste the energy? Instead, it lead Roman to the window, unlocking and opening it. ‘Last chance, Roman.’ It wouldn’t kill Roman, the voice knew that, but Roman wouldn’t be conscious for enough time for the voice to do what it needed to. 

“Is… is this supposed to be a threat?” Roman cursed himself for the quiver in his voice but carried on. “If I die you die with me, and besides that, I can’t die here. At most you’ll just hurt the both of us, and I don’t think it’s worth the effort you’re putting in. What’s your grand plan anyway, then? To feel my bones reform themselves as we lay on the ground, bleeding out? You must be more clever than that.” She wasn’t sure if any of her words were sticking but it was worth a shot.

‘It’s only a threat if you want it to be.’ I don’t feel the pain that you do, Roman. Your suffering is purely your own,’ it answered. ‘If I’m truly nothing, you shouldn’t be worried. I can’t force you to do anything, can I? But you are worried. You see Roman, when you sleep, your mind is still active... when you’re unconscious, it’s no different, except you’re much easier to suppress. I’ll have my way princess, with or without your help,’ it assured. 

“Can’t force me to do anything my ass,” Roman grumbled. After having been forced to almost jump out a window and her body slammed into a wall, this just felt cruel and ironic to say. But somehow this fact reassured her, and she grabbed the open window frame and slammed it shut, clicking it back into place. “You’re not hurting me. And you’re not hurting anyone else. I don’t care what you’ll try to do to control me, I won’t let it happen. Even if it means never sleeping again, I won’t let you have your way with me, and whatever devilish plan you have.” 

‘Whatever you say Roman. You can’t let your guard down then, can’t rest, you’ll slowly weaken yourself over time. Whatever way we do this, the outcome is the same. Let me out and I’ll leave you be, I swear. But keep me trapped here, and I’ll make your life a living hell, and Paranoia’s while I’m at it,’ the voice lead on. 

“Stop calling them that!” Roman yelled, curling up his fists. “What’s your problem with Virgil anyway, huh? We haven’t seen them in years and the first thing you want to do is throw them out?” Roman was ignoring the voice’s first comment, because so long as she didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t be true. (This obviously doesn’t make sense, but so is little of Roman’s logic.) 

The voice went quiet for now, already knowing it had won. It didn’t need to say anything for now, it could wait. And it wasn’t long until it had waited enough. When Roman got just tired enough, the voice had dragged Roman around, a step out the window and that was all it needed. Roman would be in a lot of pain, of course, but that didn’t matter to the voice. All they needed was to gather enough control to cause the final split, and Roman would be utterly useless. Actually... with Roman so weak, there was plenty the voice could do, lock Roman away and keep her from any plans it made—oh this would do just lovely. 

The voice hadn’t spared Roman an ounce of pain, doing nothing to hurry the process despite the damage it caused to itself. Roman’s half conscious body was forced to stumble, trip again and again, until it crashed, a bright light appearing like lightning, gone in a quick flash. And there were two. 

There probably was a more efficient way of staying awake for the rest of your life, but obviously Roman had not found it. But what else really wakes you up besides every single atom in your body destroying and rebuilding itself at the same time over and over and over again until you could no longer tell where you ended and this parasitic life form started. It was more than agony, more than just pain, it was familiar in a way Roman hated that she could not place. Even when the burning stopped and the twisting and pulling ceased to be, Roman felt herself feeling… smaller, like a piece of herself stood up and walked away. Funnily enough, that was exactly what happened. 

The new side... whatever it was to be named, hadn’t wasted any time. They had dragged Roman back inside, down to the lower levels. First, they had left her chained up in the dungeon until they could finish their creation—a new garden, a perfect way to get rid of Virgil. The new side had figured the dungeon and new garden were close enough they could keep up with both Virgil and Roman. The dungeon hadn’t been used in years though, and that played to their advantage. No one would think Roman was there. And the bonus of it all? Virgil would be locked up away, and happily at that. And if it wasn’t? Well, there’s no reason Roman couldn’t learn to enjoy it’s company.


	11. Pride

Roman was barely conscious for everything that had followed, and was only half aware that her wrists were bound in cold metal against a wall. The room was so dimly lit she could hardly see, but that mattered little right now. She had to escape, but his magic was so wore down, there was almost nothing left. Roman pulled as hard as he could against his chains but it made no difference, and trying to summon anything only left her feeling more exhausted. 

The new side, still to be named, had waited for a few more hours to continue their plan. Roman was ridden of, and as long as nobody went looking for him, they could get away with whatever else they needed to. What they hadn’t expected was for Patton to mistake them for Roman, making some overly-excited comment about the new outfit. Not that they had minded, rather enjoying the compliments that Patton showered them in, and made no move to argue that they weren’t Roman. ‘Roman’ asked Patton where Virgil had been, and after receiving an answer, hurried off to find him. Now is Virgil mistook them for Roman... well this could go horribly well or awfully perfect. 

Meanwhile, Virgil was still holed away in their new room, having carefully pulled its things out and making the space feel a little bit more like home… or at least, what they felt home was supposed to be like. They were surprised to have Roman return to them so quickly, and the fear of being cast out stirred up inside themself again from where they stood by the window. And yet, part of it was almost happy to see Roman again. “Hey again, is everything alright?” they asked.

‘Roman’ had nodded and flashed a happy smile at Virgil. “I hope you’re finding everything to be adequate for the time being... I’ve been working on a little something for you since I heard you’d be coming around. Are you still settling in?” they promoted, holding out their hand to Virgil. “I know we got off to a rocky start, and this doesn’t really make up for it, but I was hoping it could be a start,” they murmured, glancing a bit away from Virgil, almost looking ashamed. “I don’t know how interested you are, but I’d like to start over. If that’s alright with you?” they finished with, looking back to Virgil again. 

Virgil had been a little taken aback, to tell the truth. The idea that Roman would ever want to touch them, let alone offering first was dizzying enough, but to put in the effort to make them feel more comfortable was… nice, actually. Really nice. “I… I would really like that, actually,” it said, taking Roman’s hand with a tentative grip, light enough to still pull away. “To be honest, I’m still trying to get used to all of this, but I do want to get to know you better,” they said, unable to fight the shadow of a crooked smile on its face.

Grinning softly at the response, the trait pulled Virgil close and giving them a little spin before starting to walk, moving their fingers to intertwine with Virgil’s. “Well I’m more than happy to tell you anything you’d like to know. Come on, it’s just down through here,” they said cheerily, stepping down some rustic looking spiraled stairs. Roman hadn’t ever bothered to actually fix them up, since the area never got used. The new figment lead Virgil to a room with a wooden door, grabbing out a key and unlocking it before pushing it open, standing out of the way to let Virgil walk in. 

As Virgil followed, they felt like their entire head was going to combust from ‘Roman’s’ suave movements alone, and they held on a little tighter than before as the two walked toward’s their next destination. It was slightly confused at first, but upon walking into the room, Virgil could feel their voice being swept away. Before their eyes was a lush and ornate garden, and there was a twinkle in the air that made Virgil’s chest tighten up with anticipation, and their head felt foggy. But realism still itched at the back of Virgil’s mind, despite Virgil’s desire to ignore it. “I don’t understand… what’s all this for?” It asked, turning to face ‘Roman’, a mix of glee and worry stirring up inside. They weren’t exactly sure what kind of answer they were hoping for or were expecting honestly. 

Sighing softly, ‘Roman’ began to speak again. “I was really shitty to you before, and I just... wanted to make sure you felt welcome here. You didn’t deserve the things I said to you,” they murmured. “Truthfully, I wish I could’ve been more like you. You’re so strong, Virgil, and smart too,” they complimented, a soft look on their face. Glancing back at the garden, they seemed to perk up some. “Oh I almost forgot! I haven’t even shown you the best part,” they said, before hurriedly running ahead through some doorways made out of large bushes, looking like it was just out of a movie. The soon stopped, grinning softly and gesturing, where quite a few cuddly animals roamed the grass. 

Any more compliments and Virgil might never shake off the pinky hue their face had taken on. They were grateful for ‘Roman’s’ sudden burst of excitement, and trailed after, not-so-subtly fanning their face. But whatever else the other side had been saying was lost on Virgil’s ears. A small rabbit hopped towards Virgil’s feet, and they scooped the little thing up with a cautious hand, beaming. “You really didn’t have to do all of this,” it mumbled, the delightful fogginess from before setting in again. “But it’s really sweet of you, thank you.” 

“Well of course I had to,” ‘Roman’ murmured, pulling a sheepish look. “It’s worth it to see you so happy. Besides, the blush is a nice bonus,” they flirted lightly. They took a seat on the ground, letting a few of the rabbits jump towards them, smiling some and petting them. “There’s a few things I have to attend to. Would you mind staying here a while? I’ll come back with lunch and we can have a little picnic, get to know each other a bit better?” they offered. 

Virgil nodded, almost too eagerly; there was just something about how ‘Roman’ was behaving that they couldn’t place that made them feel wanted. “Yeah, of course! I’ll wait for you, I mean, there’s so much to look around at…” they trailed off, mesmerized by the view. Virgil would wait happily as long as ‘Roman’ wanted to, with how safe this place felt. It could hardly remember why it was nervous about being around the other in the first place.

Smiling at the response, ‘Roman’ stood up again. “I’ll see you again soon, my little meadowsweet. Feel free to look around—there’s plenty I didn’t show you.” They left with a hum, shutting the door behind them. They didn’t lock it—the illusion of choice and comfort for Virgil, it was just easier that way. And besides, the others would question if they heard Virgil shouting. That’s the last thing they wanted. They stepped into Roman’s cell, ready to patronize the other as a grin seeped across their face. “Getting cozy there Roman?” they asked. “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of Virgil, nobody’s questioned where you went. They all think I’m you... must say something about you, doesn’t it?” 

Roman shared a glare up at them. “You won’t get away with this, whatever the hell you are, you can’t keep this game up forever.” Even with his brazen words, it was obvious that Roman was still recovering from… god knows what this other creature did to him. His eyes lacked their usual spark, and the lack of blood flow to his arms wasn’t exactly helpful either. 

“Oh but Roman, I already am,” they answered with a grin. 

“So what’re you going to do with me, then? Am I no longer the thorn in your side that I was? ‘Cause if you let me out, I can show just how much of a pain I could have been,” Roman snarled. 

“Good to know I didn’t take any of that hideous anger. I’m not sure yet, I rather enjoy being prince. I think king fits me better though, don’t you?” they asked, tapping their index finger against their chin. “Maybe I’ll keep you here and just take your place. No one would dare to question a king, you made it so they wouldn’t. Ah yes, that would do nicely,” they hummed, pacing the room slowly. “Oh and by the way... Virgil’s happy, I’m sure you’ll be glad to know. The poor thing doesn’t have a clue what hit it. Nobody will find it again...” 

At the mention of Virgil, Roman yanked harshly against her chains again, “What the hell did you do with them?! Where are they, you better fucking tell me right now!” He shouted, eyes sparking red if only for a feeble moment. “You are no king, just a fool and a liar playing dress up. This isn’t your world to play with, and if you think for a second no one will catch on, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.” 

The trait merely laughed at the response. “Oh Roman, poor poor Roman, I think you forget... I’m still you. They don’t think any different. They have no reason to,” they answered. “You may call me the fool, but I at least know how to use the way Virgil feels about us to my advantage. Funny that you didn’t notice before, it’s in love with you,” the murmured, looking amused as they looked at their nails. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to tell you though, seeing as you nor it are getting out anytime soon. Virgil’s in its own little magic forest... it’ll be lost on its own soon enough.” 

A million and one questions were running through Roman’s mind at the moment, from the point that Virgil loved him to the magic forest. She shook her head and glared back up at the other. “You’re horrible using them like that! Let me remind you that Virgil has yet to do anything that warrants this sort of treatment!” She gritted her teeth, “You’re a bully, and a prick, and the most obnoxious son of a bitch I’ve ever met.” 

“Virgil wasn’t anything in the first place. It was a mere mistake. We should’ve ridded it earlier, and you know that as much as I do, but I guess it makes me the bad guy to be honest about it;” they muttered. 

Roman sighed, resting her head against the wall. “But can I ask for one thing, since you’re so clearly acting as the high-and-mighty king right now?”

“What is it Roman?” the trait asked, bored by the question. “Hurry along now, I did promise Virgil a lovely lunch. Poor thing is eating right out of the palm of my hand you know.” 

“Two things, and don’t lie and tell me you’re actually eager to get back to them,” Roman snarked. “First things first, I don’t know who you think you’re fooling with that outfit, but it’s loud for even my tastes. I mean, black with ruby accents? You, my formidable foe, look like an emo nightmare, and not in the good way,” she started, testing the waters, trying to get a rise out of this strange side. “And, for my question, could you get a little closer? I know you must find my voice annoying, and I’m sure a whisper would be much less grating on your ears.” 

“I’m far from eager about it, though Virgil certainly misses me,” they remarked, a grin on their face. “And perhaps I don’t look exactly like you, but a look change is easy,” they added with a shrug, simply snapping their fingers as their appearance shifted. “Though I’m certain I look twice as good as you either way,” they finished. Despite their words; they indulged in Roman’s request, coming closer and kneeling in front of her, waiting for the response. 

Roman grinned, and blew a raspberry in the other’s face. He was nothing if not a child at heart. “Fuck you, and fuck everything you stand for. As soon as Virgil realizes you’re not me, they’re going to flip their shit, and it’s not going to be pretty. You’d be lucky if you escape with all of your limbs intact.” He knew Virgil wasn’t violent in the slightest, but the other didn’t need to know that. “And you still look like a freak show,” he quipped. “Maybe it’s the stupid smirk on your face, you look much better without one,” Roman taunted, mildly amused by himself for actually pulling such a stupid stunt off. 

The trait gritted their teeth, wiping the spit from their face. “Roman, you keep forgetting, you’re not the only part it fell in love for,” they muttered, wiping the spit off on their pants. “Even if the paranoid freak figures it out, do you really think I’m stupid enough to let it out? It wouldn’t dare hurt me. At best, it would feel bad for causing such horrors to us, and I’ll make sure it knows it’s all its fault. No amount of reassuring from you will fix that.” 

“You motherfucking—“ Roman started off blazing with anger again, but cut himself off. Her shoulders sank once more as the wheels in her head finished turning. “You’re doing this just because you can. There’s no rhyme or reason, is there? You just want the world, and to step on whomever doesn’t fit your idea of it. There isn’t a drop of remorse in your body, is there?” She wasn’t looking at them anymore, but at the floor as she pieced everything together. “And, even so, I still don’t know what to call you. You’re not Cruelty or I’d be way worse off, you’re not Hatred or Anger…”

“Oh don’t fool yourself, Roman, I don’t step on what I do for no reason. Virgil wasn’t part of the plan, we both know that. Logic’s lovely, I wouldn’t dare to hurt him. But I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to do the same with Remus,” they shrugged. “Simply put, mistakes don’t belong in my world, and as long as I’m living, it is my world.” 

“You think you’re perfect,” Roman mumbled, and he almost laughed. “Logic and Remus are almost the most polar opposite sides you could have compared, of course you like Logic. They’re efficient and quiet and do as they’re told. Remus is anything but those things.” He looked back up at the other. “The only thing that matters to you is for everything to be exactly the way you want it, because obviously your way is better than anyone else’s.” Roman stared them in the eye, “You’re arrogant and see no flaws in anything you do. A perfectionist through and through… I know you’re name. You’re Pride.” 

“Pride, huh?” the villain grinned. “I like that actually. It suits me well. Well... whatever this may be, I have something to be tending to,” he hummed. “Ta-ta, Roman. Oh, and don’t let me catch you mumbling to yourself anymore, yeah? Be a shame if I’d have to silence you,” he remarked, stepping out the barred door and locking it behind him. 

Roman waited to the count of twenty before returning to his struggle against those dammed chains. He had to get out of here, Roman didn’t want that slime ball of a side nosing anywhere around his creations. The clattering of his shackles resounded in his cell, and Roman let his arms fall back against the wall. Whatever charm was on this place, it kept him from using any of his powers. So, she resorted to the only other option left, as humiliating as it was. “Hello?! Is anyone there?!” he shouted into the air.

Virgil had been humming softly as it pet the animals, peaceful and content. Well, at least until it heard some rattling. It stood up, taking one of the bunnies with it and carefully started stepping towards the noises. They had done some exploring, but not much without ‘Roman,’ not wanting to get lost. But curiosity got the best of it, and it couldn’t help being a little concerned about the noises it approached. It hadn’t made out the words that the person had said, but knocked lightly on the stone wall, which was covered in vines and leaves. “Hello?” they called quietly, still nervous as their heart pounded, pulling the bunny a little closer to their chest. 

Roman flinched; to be entirely honest, she didn’t think that would work. But it was this particular voice that mattered more to Roman in this moment, and she leaned as forward against her chains as she could, speaking again, “Hello?! Virgil, is that you? Say something, anything, are you alright? They haven’t hurt you, have they?” she asked frantically. 

“Ro... man? Woah, woah, wait, slow down—what do you mean?” Virgil was trying to wrap their head around half the words Roman had said, and frankly, they were failing miserably. The kneeled down next to the wall, setting down the bunny gently, that cuddled up to their thigh. “Has who hurt me? Nobody’s hurt me Roman—what happened to you? I thought you said you had some things to take care of then you’d be back...” Virgil wasn’t exactly sure if they should be scared, concerned, or just bluntly hurt, and somehow, they managed to be all three. 

“I’m trapped somewhere, you have to to help get me out of here!” Roman answered quickly. “The place you are in now isn’t safe, you’re going to get lost in there forever if you don’t find a way out now. There’s someone walking about that looks just like me, their name is Pride, you cannot under any circumstances trust them! They locked me up, and I’m not strong enough right now to get out on my own. Please, Virgil, I need your help.” 

Virgil froze up a bit at that. “Oh.” The response hung heavy in the air. They knew Roman couldn’t have just been being nice to them, of course he couldn’t. They were foolish for ever believing there was any good will to it. Still, even though it stung, Virgil couldn’t help hoping that it wasn’t true. “And all the rabbits, and hand holding... oh...” Virgil continued quietly, trying to connect the dots. They took a deep breath, doing their best not to cry. “I want to trust you, I want to say you’re the real Roman, I do but—given what you just told me, how can I even trust you?” they asked.


	12. Escape

“I…” Roman hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Then, an idea came to mind. “There isn’t much I could say that can make you trust me, because that kind of thing is earned, not given. So, how about you ask me whatever you want, and I’ll answer as honestly as I can. No tricks, no fancy words, no lies. But I will tell you this upfront now, that you do matter to me, and no amount of hurt they could cause will ever change that. You matter to me, Virgil.”

Virgil started to look around as they listened, hoping they could find something to at the very least break through the wall. Then they could get to Roman. If it even was Roman. They still weren’t sure, but even if it wasn’t, maybe they could convince whoever it was that they could be useful? Maybe they wouldn’t hate them as much. And Virgil could be okay with that—they had known Roman wouldn’t have felt the same way in the first place, but that didn’t mean Roman and Pride still had to hate his guts, right? “Already lying,” Virgil answered, giving a dry laugh. “Don’t worry Princey, you were always a great actor, but even I know that isn’t true. And that’s... that’s okay. I don’t have to. You don’t choose if I matter to you,” Virgil answered weakly. They grabbed a stick, trying to see if the bricks were held together by cement or something more easily broken as they pressed into the edges. “I won’t bother asking. Either way I won’t leave you here, okay?” they said finally. 

“I’m being serious Virgil, you matter to me in more ways than one,” Roman countered, sighing, “but I appreciate you not leaving me here to rot. Where ever are you? Pride said something about a forest, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was lying to my face.” At least Virgil wasn’t having a break down, that’s a plus already.

“Just shut up Princey, I’ve been through enough bullshit for one day, don’t you think?” Virgil answered bitterly, a bit frustrated that nothing much came of using the stick. They grabbed a small stone, using it to try and break away a weakened edge of the wall. “Some ditzy little garden. I don’t know. Pride made it for me, said it was part of his plan to start over. Guess it was pretty stupid to believe that, right?” Virgil’s voice wavered, and they desperately hoped that Roman would argue with them, saying that it wasn’t stupid, that there was some hope, even if they truthfully knew there wasn’t. They went quiet, chipping away at the stone. 

“I don’t blame you for falling for it,” Roman mumbled. “Someone creating a whole magical space just for you? I’m sure anyone would want to stay.” She thought back to the love comment Pride had made, and decided it wasn’t the time to bring that up. “I surely would have, without a doubt. I’m just glad you haven’t fallen under their spell completely,” she said, a note of true sincerity in her comments. “I was worried about you.”

“When have you ever worried about me?” they scoffed, hitting the wall harder now. They couldn’t take forever and they knew that. They had managed to get a small chunk loose, using their fingers to pry it from its spot and wriggle it out. “Roman, truly, if you’ve ever cared about something other than yourself, it sure as hell wasn’t me, and this whole ordeal really proves that.” Virgil didn’t really understand much about Pride, or what was left of Roman, but Virgil wasn’t too worried about figuring that out. It was easier to play bitter than to sit their sulking and being hurt. 

“Not nearly enough, to tell the truth,” she replied, the feeling of shame creeping up on her. “And… you’re completely right. I hate saying it but,” she scrunched up her face, “I’m not exactly the shining beacon of kindness I pretend to be. I left you alone for years with the others, I didn’t try to reach out, and there’s a million ways I could say I’m sorry, but I know it wouldn’t make a difference.” Roman took a breath. “But as soon as we’re out of here, I’m going to spend my every moment trying to make it up to you. That I promise.”

“Living with them wasn’t a bad thing, Roman. Don’t talk about it like it was. They’re the only family I have,” Virgil sighed out, chipping a bit more at the wall. They could hear the door towards the front starting to creak open, and Pride calling for them in a sing song voice. He let out a quiet huff. “Shit—I’ll be back soon. Don’t go anywhere,” Virgil said, before mentally face-palming at the word choice, but they didn’t have time to dwell on it now. They hurried off, taking the bunny with them and threw on a smile. They weren’t a great actor, but Roman was currently depending on them, they’d make it work. 

“That’s not what I-“ Roman promptly shut her mouth as soon as he heard the other hurry away. There would be time for this later, assuming Virgil wasn’t about to meet her same fate.

Having quickly adjusted to the new title, Pride waltzed into the garden picnic basket in hand, a sharp eye on the look out for Virgil. As soon as he spotted it, his grin widened. Poor ignorant Virgil, how easy the foolish fell. “I hope I didn’t take too long darling, how are you enjoying things here? I see you’ve become rather attached to one of my creations,” he said sweetly, glancing at the rabbit.

“No, not you weren’t too long! I’ve been playing with Fluffles since you left!” Virgil giggled. Even to force a laugh felt like acid bubbling in their throat. “I hope nothing you had to do was too stressful, or at least that you’re able to be done with it now,” they chirped politely. “Was there any specific spot you had in mind for the picnic?” 

“All taken care of, for now at least,” Pride replied, scratching the bunny behind the ears. God, it sucked being nice to it. “And I have a special spot in mind, if you’ll humor me,” they grinned, offering a hand. Here was too close to Roman’s cell for comfort, and Pride wasn’t about to risk those two chatting it up. “I think you’ll find it particularly mesmerizing,” they chirped.

Virgil couldn’t help the fluttering in their chest when Pride reached out his hand, taking it and intertwining their fingers together: Maybe Roman was lying—maybe Pride was trying to protect them from Roman. Who really knew? Virgil wasn’t sure of much anymore. The mere uncertainty terrified Virgil. They didn’t know who to trust, but there wasn’t a reason why they couldn’t enjoy this for now, right? 

Pride had carefully led Virgil away to a more secluded part of the garden. “Be careful now, I don’t want you getting lost in here,” they said lightly, and moved a wall of vines away. Behind them was an ornate fountain that spilled over into smaller pools, encircling a clearing of stone, enough space for two with a little room to share. Within the smaller pool koi were swimming about, occasionally hopping out for a moment as if saying hello. They led Virgil to the center and set out a blanket before gently pulling the other down to sit. “So? What do you think?” Pride asked eagerly.

Virgil followed quietly, allowing themself to be lead. They smiled some when noticing the pond, setting down their new found furry friend in favor of looking at the pond, where they could see a wavy reflection of themself in the sparkling water. They giggled softly as one of the fish jumped out of the water, getting a few droplets of water on them. “It’s perfect... like everything else here,” they murmured, looking back to Pride. 

“I’m glad you think so,” Pride smiled, opening the basket and offering Virgil a sandwich. “I know you ate earlier, but you weren’t exactly on the shortest of trips, and it’s important to keep your energy up,” he said kindly, eyeing Virgil over. “And this won’t be the last of my surprises, I can tell you that. I have plenty more planned for you, cherub.”

Virgil smiled fondly at the concern, taking the sandwich and moving to sit next to Pride. “Thanks,” they murmured. They ignored the thought that the food could be poisoned, instead taking a bite, as if to say ‘screw you’ to its own mind. 

Luckily it was not, because Pride had some common sense, even if Virgil’s anxiety wanted to disregard it. He knew eventually people would ask around regarding Virgil, and it was a safer play to keep it alive rather than dead. Pride himself did not eat, but instead made light small talk about the other adjust to things here, and generally tried to keep up an air of friendly flirting, to keep it distracted.

Doing its absolute best not to pay attention to much of it, they occasionally nodded their head. It was an odd mix, to feel the twist of a knife every time the other flirted, meanwhile feeling its heart flutter all the same. Given any other circumstances, they would’ve broken down and started crying right there, but they had to get Roman out of there. Honestly they weren’t even sure if they were going to bother to save themself. Maybe they deserved this. Pride had to have a reason to hate them, right? 

Pride squinted ever so slightly at the other after a while. Something was off, but they couldn’t quite place it. “Angel, are you feeling alright? You look like something’s worrying you, I can see it in your eyes,” he said, cupping the side of Virgil’s face. “If there’s anything I could do to help, please tell me. I hate seeing you like this.” Pride hoped that the charm wouldn't be wearing off so quickly, but he had prepared to take a few more ‘drastic’ measures if they were necessary. 

Virgil couldn’t help but flinch at the touch, and god, words could not describe how badly it wanted to just cry. “It’s—it’s nothing. I’ve just been overthinking a little and well... I still don’t get why you’re being so nice. You always seemed to hate me,” Virgil mumbled their quick excuse. “I love all of this, I really do, I just... don’t understand it.” They looked down shortly before looking back at Pride. “But I guess I don’t really need to understand it to enjoy it, right?” Their eyes flickered across Pride’s face, mostly just looking to know that what they said was okay, that they hadn’t terribly messed this up. The moment hung heavy in the air, and Virgil knew they had cut off their own breathing, unable to actually get another breath in while they waited for a response, a signal, any sort of sign that told them they hadn’t screwed this up again. 

So it was still broken... Pride felt a bit of relief: it was only stressed, and of course it was. It was only natural. He smiled kindly, “Oh Virgil, I could never hate you. In truth, I’ve made some mistakes in my time… one of them was pushing you away when I should have been there for you. I’m sorry, and I know that isn’t enough, but I want you to be comfortable here, and around me. It must be hard to trust me, and I’m not rushing you in any way, but I hope you can see that I mean you no harm, some day.” Pride lowered their hand to grasp one of Virgil’s, and pressed a light kiss to its knuckles. “You have nothing to fear here.”

Virgil felt their heart jump a little at the kiss, and honestly, they knew they had to pull this off. After a frantic moment of worry, they pulled at Pride’s shirt, pulling him close into a kiss. It only lasted a few fluttering moments, and Virgil themself didn’t know how to feel about it, but they’d have to worry about that later. They threw on a sheepish look, slowly loosening their grip on the other’s shirt and clearing their throat. “I... uh... sorry,” they mumbled. 

Pride was taken aback, and momentarily startled, but once Virgil had pulled away, they chuckled. “What did I say about having nothing to fear here, hm? If you wanted a kiss you only had to ask,” they replied cooly, pressing a kiss to its forehead. Pride found it almost adorable how infatuated Virgil was with them, it was certainly useful. “You have nothing to apologize for, love,” they murmured.

Even if Virgil knew there was no truth behind it, they couldn’t help practically melting at the nickname and kiss to the forehead. Roman could be lying, they continued to try and convince himself. They could be happy here, with Pride. Happy and blissful and ignoring the rest of the world. But even then, did they ever deserve it? Virgil pushed the thought down, looking down in his lap where they nervously fidgeted, trying to steady their breathing. 

Pride smirked with glee at how easy this was turning out to be. They leaned forward slightly, just enough to be in the other’s space without invading too much. They moved a hand to gently tilt Virgil’s chin up, staring at it with a curious shade of tea rose flashing in Pride’s eyes. “What’s wrong, love? You’re still worrying about something. You can’t hide things from me darling, it’s best if we just talk things out,” they said, a touch of darkness to their words.

“It just feels like a dream, I’m just still scared that I might wake up,” they breathed out. “Can I... can I kiss you again? I just wanna be sure it’s real—“ Virgil would’ve continued his nervous rambling if it wasn’t for a knock at the door. 

“Sir, it seems as though you have a few visitors. I’ve invited them in, but they’d like to talk to you. Janus and Remus I believe they said their names were?” Logan called, not opening the door. He knew better than to invade the prince’s privacy that way. 

Virgil had to hold in a sigh of relief when they heard Logan. At least they wouldn’t have to keep up the act much longer. If it even was an act. Virgil wasn’t entirely sure, and that in itself was concerning. 

Pride turned their head towards the door and frowned slightly, but shook it off quickly. “I should go take care of that. I won’t be long, love,” Pride said, moving away from Virgil, but stopping for a moment, kneeling in front of the other. “And, as for if this is reality or not-“ they pressed a quick kiss to the other’s lips, “I would like to think it is,” they said lightly, standing up and walking towards the door. “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” Pride teased, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Roman was still waiting with bated breath for Virgil to return. Pride had moved the two far enough away that their conversation was nothing more than a whisper to her ears, and it made Roman worried.

Virgil let on a fluttering smile when Pride pulled back. “I won’t,” they promised, counting quietly the steps that echoed in the hall until they heard no more. They stumbled to their feet in a hurry, running back to the wall, searching to try and find where they had started breaking it in. “I don’t know how long we have, so we’re gonna have to be quick,” Virgil remarked, grabbing the rock and going back to chipping away the block. It was a good thing Roman hadn’t fixed up this area in a while because it weakened at least somewhat. When Virgil pushed through a rather large chunk, hissing as they scratched their fingers, they pulled their hand back and tried to kick in the stone with their foot. Virgil had a lot of feelings to figure out, but now wasn’t the time or place, and given that they still didn’t know if they could trust Roman, they wouldn’t be telling her much. 

As soon as a hole was made within the wall, Roman could sense the magic that Pride had cast over the garden. It reeked of negative energy, nothing at all like the things she would conjure. But it was still magic, and Roman could work with that. She focused while Virgil was trying to fully break through, on summoning something, anything that could help them. Eyes screwed up in effort, after a long minute of concentration, a simple lock pick clattered to the ground. “Damn, am I glad to hear your voice again,” Roman said softly, genuinely happy that Virgil had returned.

“Sure you are,” Virgil uttered bitterly. They had the sense to know that Roman was only ‘glad’ because Virgil was saving her. “Let’s just focus on getting you out of here,” they added, with a soft sigh. The blocks towards the sides were still perfectly in place, but the ones above it weren’t as sturdy. They walked around for a minute, finder a larger stone and just chucking it at the wall, watching as both the wall and the rock crackled little bits. Virgil picked back up their smaller stone stone, chipping away another few chunks before weaseling their way through the wall, glad for their tiny body frame. “Now what’s the plan? How are we getting you out of here?” 

“I was being serious, and I hope you can pick locks because right now this was the only thing I could make,” Roman confessed, nudging the lock pick by his foot. “I know somewhere we’ll both be safe for a while, Pride won’t be able to find us unless we want to be found.” All of this talking was really wearing Roman down even further, but she couldn’t show Virgil that, they needed to be supported right now.

Virgil took the lock pick, actually getting the chains undone rather easily. “Janus taught me,” they mumbled, then headed for the door, hooking their arm around the bars and undoing that lock too. It was a bit more of a struggle, but they got it shortly after, pushing the door open. “Go. He’ll know if I left first. You can get further away. I won’t be much help if I get you caught. I can sneak out later—I’ll be fine.” They didn’t believe that in the slightest, but they gave Roman a reassuring smile anyway, heading back to the hole in the wall they’d created.


	13. Ignore All of Roman’s Ideas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible tw for scars?? Not purposely self inflicted, they’re from the split

“Oh no you don’t,” Roman said, grabbing hold of Virgil’s wrist and tugging him towards the cell door with him. “You’re coming with me, there’s no way I’m about to let you rot in that garden for the rest of your life. The place reeks of bad magic, all you’ll do is hurt yourself.” Roman really didn’t want to force Virgil any further, but he wasn’t going anywhere without them. Virgil had felt their throat go dry, and they had to take a moment before croaking out an “okay.” They already knew they didn’t have a choice, and they weren’t going to cause more of an issue about it. Roman hated them enough, the least they could do was listen. 

It killed Roman to see them deflate so easily, and she made a mental note to (hopefully) help the other with that. But for now, she said nothing. Roman pulled Virgil along a series of hallways and half-hidden passages before freezing and tugging the other into a hidden nook. Whispers down the hall carried, and the sound of Pride’s voice made Roman’s blood boil. They started to lead Virgil back the other way; neither of them were ready to face them.

Virgil really couldn’t help themself when they heard Pride’s voice, paired with discussion from Remus and Janus. Apparently how Virgil had ‘gone missing’ and Pride would help them find them. They tugged themself forward, opening their mouth and just ready to shout. They weren’t exactly sure what, but they were angry, and hurt, and they definitely couldn’t deny anymore that Roman might have actually been telling the truth. Which hurt so much more than it should’ve. Roman, in a hurried panic, quickly covered Virgil’s mouth with her hand and basically picked the other up. It was easier to run this way, if not concerning at how feather-light the other was. But that was for later, right now, Roman was focused on bolting as far away from Pride as possible. Virgil would’ve screamed, they would’ve shouted, but their breath caught in their throat and instead they simply froze. 

A few dizzying twists later, Roman set Virgil down, and tapped a complex pattern against a seemingly unassuming painting. The painting swung forward, and Roman hastily pushed Virgil in, following quickly after them and shutting the painting behind them both. A few small lanterns lit up at the ‘click’, and Roman sighed, resting his back against the wall. “We should be safe for now.”

Virgil hasn’t had the chance to really make sense of the next few moments, barely registering Roman’s words at all. Safe? Safe from what? At least Pride made them actually feel safe. They shouldn’t have left, they shouldn’t have let Roman take them anywhere. They stumbled back some, leaning against the wall opposite of Roman and sinking down there, curling up and going silent. At this point, all that Virgil wanted was to go home. 

The silence was almost worse than listening to Pride gloat, and Roman could not stand it. He sunk down, still across from Virgil, and looked them over carefully. Any question he asked them was going to go poorly, but it would be better than listening to nothing for however long they were stuck here. “What’s on your mind?” Roman asked quietly, the tiredness in his voice a little too evident for his tastes.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Virgil answered quietly, pausing for a long moment. “... I can’t believe I kissed him. And to protect you of all people,” they choked out. “Or that I believed him. Or that I still don’t know if I should believe you. Or that I didn’t just scream. Ree and Janus would’ve taken care of it, they always do. I shouldn’t have left. I’ve only caused trouble, and I’ll only cause more,” Virgil was quickly spiraling, and they hadn’t really registered that Roman had actually asked a question, too busy trying to hash it out for themself. “I didn’t belong here. I don’t know why I came here. I don’t know what made me think I should.” 

Roman frowned, and gingerly rested his hand atop Virgil’s, light enough that Virgil could pull away should they want, but still there. Virgil jerked their hand away from Roman’s rather harshly, curling up more on themself. “Hey now, enough of that. He tricked you. Pride is suave and collected and a con. And you shouldn’t just trust me on the spot, not because I’m going to hurt you, but because trust is something that you have to build up. I don’t know why those two are here, but like you said, I’m sure they can handle him. But you haven’t caused any trouble, none of this is your fault.” Roman sighed, and looked away from them. “You do belong here, Virgil. It’s my fault that you think you don’t, but you belong here more than anyone else.”

“You’re a liar, Roman. And you’re no better than him.” Virgil reached for their own face, wiping away whatever tears had formed and looking away from Roman. “And drop the sympathy act, I don’t need it. Save some pity for yourself.” 

It hurt Roman more than he cared to admit being compared to Pride. It was as if Virgil had literally sliced her ego in two. The other clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk, and Roman didn’t have the energy to argue back. Slowly, as to not startle the other, Roman walked further into the room and more lanterns lit up the space. There was a perfectly untouched bed, and a small side bathroom with a window to peek outside. After making sure everything was as it should be, Roman walked back, speaking quietly. “You should get some rest, you’ve been through a lot in the last 24 hours. There’s a bed, feel free to make yourself comfortable.”

Badly, Virgil wanted to refuse the offer. But practically every part of them ached and begged for some rest, and they supposed if Roman had something planned, they’d get it done with or without Virgil’s compliance nor trust. They sighed softly and nodded, heading over to the bed and climbing in it, curling up. They spent a few short silent moments like that before speaking quietly. “Do you even know what he wants with me?” they asked, their voice breaking. They probably wouldn’t even be awake by the time the other answered, if they answered at all. 

The question surprised Roman, and she frowned. “To do something I tried to do a long time ago,” she murmured, quietly keeping guard of the door. She doubted anyone would find it, but for the next hour, Roman did not move an inch. It wasn’t until she was dead certain no one was coming did she stand up and walk as quietly as she could to the bathroom, undoing and removing her cloak to reveal a string of blistering scars shooting up both arms and crawling over her chest and back. Roman could hardly look at herself.

Virgil’s body didn’t allow them to sleep very long, and at the minor divergence in Roman’s movement, Virgil had been awake again. They didn’t move out of bed at first, until they scanned and the room and couldn’t find Roman, and not wanting to be alone glanced around to find her. Virgil’s eyes caught onto all the marks and scars, not being able to help but gasp, then had the decency to look embarrassed, clearing their throat and looking away. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” they muttered. “Do you need any help? It’s pretty hard to bandage things yourself...” they offered, but didn’t look back before they got their response. 

The second Roman realized that Virgil could see her, crossed her arms and turned away as well, ears blushing red out of embarrassment. “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine Virgil!” Roman said hastily. “Just… go back to sleep, would you?” she mumbled, digging around in the medicine cupboard for bandages and rubbing alcohol. This was going to hurt like a bitch no matter what, but Roman didn’t need Virgil paying attention to that fact. She winced as she cleaned the cuts, cursing internally for waking the other up in the first place.

Virgil’s eyes widened with panic when they saw what Roman had grabbed to clean the wounds, quickly grabbing the bottle of of her hands. They did their best not to look at Roman, not wanting him to feel self conscious. “Look, I swear, I’ll turn around and I won’t look, but you can’t put rubbing alcohol on blistering skin!” they said, spinning around. “Wash with warm soap and water, be gentle on yourself,” they instructed. They weren’t taking no as an answer, not about to watch the other be a total idiot in pain because they didn’t learn how to clean a wound right. 

“Alcohol gets the job done, doesn’t it?” She replied testily, still a little bothered by the fact that Virgil saw them and how horrible the scars look, as if Virgil didn’t already have enough reasons to think Roman was a monster. But she did as Virgil instructed, still wincing, albeit from less pain than before. The scars were more than just physical, they were like a brand. “Look at the idiot who lost her other half,” Roman muttered under her breath. This was humiliating for her, and as she fumbled with the bandages, Roman wish that for, if only a moment, that she was alone.

“Not in this case it doesn’t...” Virgil fidgeted with the bottle while stumbling over their words. “I’m—I’m sorry Ro,” they murmured quietly. “Ree has them too. They never stopped picking at them, though they’re mostly healed now,” he added quietly, not really sure how to say ‘it’s okay’ to Roman. “I’ll uh... go back to bed now,” they finished with, setting the bottle back onto the counter without looking back, seeing themself out. 

Roman froze, the bundle of bandages in hand. Truth be told, he’s never tried to actually properly patch himself up before. It was a lot more of avoiding mirrors undressed and never rolling up her sleeves whenever possible until they scarred over. But right now she couldn’t afford to just wait them out; there were more pressing matters at hand. Sighing, and a nauseating wave of nerves covering her, (is this what Virgil always felt like?) Roman walked back out of the bathroom, not quite making eye contact with Virgil, and asked under his breath, “…Actually, a little help would be nice, if you’re alright with that…?”

Virgil smiled weakly at the other, gingerly slipping the bandages away from Roman. “I’ll walk you through it,” they murmured. “The ones across the chest are hardest to bandage on your own,” they remarked, starting there, explaining how Roman would be able to do it on her own as they went. Roman had kept mostly quiet during Virgil’s explanations, both to pay attention and to not risk saying anything stupid. She already felt strange enough asking for help, and didn’t want to make this any worse. When they finished, they bandaged one of the other’s arm, explaining that too, which was much easier, before passing Roman the rest of the bandages. “You try.”

Roman carefully copied what Virgil had done to his other arm, taking care not to agitate the wounds any further. Once he was certain the bandage was secured properly, he crossed his arms again. “Thank you, I appreciate the help,” Roman muttered, staring at the floor.

Virgil’s eyes flickered over the bandaging shortly, just to make sure it was properly in place before they looked away. “Of course. It’s the least I could do,” they murmured. They seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking again. “I’m sorry for the shit I said earlier... that you’re no better than him and stuff...” 

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Roman muttered, still staring down. “I don’t blame you for thinking that way, there’s definitely more about us in common than I like,” she laughed bitterly. “But it’s okay. That’s in the past,” she shrugged. “I’m not mad about it, or anything…”

“You’re not mad, but you can’t say it didn’t hurt,” they blurted out. “I’m just... all sorts of messed up right now. Don’t place too much value into the shitty things I say. I don’t mean them. I just don’t want to be the only one hurting.” 

“…I know you didn’t mean it Virgil, that’s what matters,” Roman replied quietly. “Sometimes people hurt each other, I’m not about to take what you said personally after what you’ve been through today.” It was only half true; Roman was still a little upset over Virgil’s comment, but it wasn’t worth blowing up over. “I’m more worried about you being safe now than whatever you say to me.”

They felt guilt strike them, painful and resting heavy in their chest. “You shouldn’t be,” Virgil choked out, hating how their voice wavered. “You would’ve been fine if I never came here. There’s no reason for you to protect me. You shouldn’t care if I’m safe or not.” 

“There’s a million reasons why I should be protecting you right now, and nothing you can do or say will ever change my mind about that,” Roman said firmly. “I want to keep you safe, regardless of the cost.” She gently rested a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, still not quite looking at them, “You matter to me in a way I can’t explain just yet.”

“I don’t get why you can’t just tell me,” they sighed. Virgil knew they was no good reason. If Roman wanted or needed him for anything, they were sure at this point that it was nothing in their own interest. Though in all fairness, the only thing in Virgil’s interest was to go home at this point. 

“Because it would only hurt you more, and I’d rather not be the thorn in your side,” Roman said, pulling his hand back. After a moment she stood up, pulled his cloak back on, and pressed an ear to the door before standing across from the bed again. “I’m going to go take care of him. Stay here, and don’t move, alright? I’ll be back soon.”

Virgil frowned, standing up. “What do you mean take care of him? Ro, you and I both know that’s a dumb idea.” Unless of course they were conspiring together. Virgil frowned more as the thought crossed their mind. It’d make more sense than they’d like to admit. This whole thing was starting to feel like torture. 

“I… don’t really know what I’m going to do yet, this is sort of a, throw-yourself-in-head-first type situations,” Roman confessed, focusing for a moment to summon his sword. “But I’m not about to just let him wander about pretending to be me, and I don’t want to risk you getting in his way again. I get the feeling he isn’t going to be as nice this time,” she muttered.

Virgil sighed softly, stepping forward and gently lowering Roman’s hands. “He will be if it’s me,” they answered. “I can pull some lame excuse about how I missed him and got lonely. It’ll give you time to get help and to warn the others. We don’t have to play it this way,” they offered gently. 

“Absolutely not, you shouldn’t be anywhere near him!” Roman rebutted, shaking his head. “You didn’t hear the way he talked about you, what he said… maybe this isn’t the smartest play, but I’m not about to use you as a pawn for his scheme! You deserve better than that… I don’t want you to leave again because of him, I already fucked that up once and having it happen again is not an option.”

Virgil shook its head some. “First of all, I don’t know what makes you think I’m staying after this. Second of all, we know that isn’t the smartest play. Third of all, no, you’re not going. And definitely not wielding some weapon either,” it answered. “Just let me go, Roman. You can get Janus and Logic and whoever else you need. I’ll lead him back to the garden. Okay?” 

“That’s not the point…” Roman pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “There’s no arguing with you, is there? Fine, we’ll do it your way,” he nodded, vanishing the weapon. “But the second I tell you to get out of the way, you move, got it? Hell knows what he’d do to you if he got a hold on you again.” 

Virgil ignored the first part, because no there wasn’t any arguing with them. Roman had created Virgil to be protective, whether she regretted that decision now or not. “He won’t do anything,” Virgil answered, sounding confident in that statement. “He’s a total asshole but he’s not stupid. Remus would tear him limb from limb and then some, I have no doubt. I don’t think he does either.” Virgil adjusted its sweatshirt, pulling it more up on its shoulder. “I’ll be fine. You worry about you and the others first,” they finished with before pushing the painting out of the way, carefully looking out. 

Roman grumbled something about lack of self-preservation under her breath and followed after them, glancing around as well. “I’ll meet you in the garden in ten minutes, okay? Good luck, and don’t get lost,” she added, casting one more worried look towards them before heading left down the hall. 

“Give it twenty, catch ‘im off guard,” Virgil remarked before stepping out.


	14. It’s End of the Line, Bitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if the formatting is difficult to read, I tried my best. 
> 
> Also it’s merry bitchmas time of year yeehaw

Virgil hurried down the hall to find somewhere further to lead off trail of Roman. Soon it got down one of the main halls, putting on a soft pout and fidgeting as it walked, knowing it’d run into Pride soon. 

Pride was less than happy at the current situation, to say the least. It hadn’t been hard to put the hole in the wall along with both it and Roman’s disappearance together. He could only wait and see in what form they would appear to him, and play dumb. He heard a pitter patter of footsteps coming towards him, and swung around, with authority in his voice, asking, “Who goes there?”

Virgil flinched, though shockingly, it wasn’t faked. They glanced up at Pride and felt their breath catch. They were stupid, what made them think they could do this? They were already panicking, realizing they took way too long to formulate such a simple response. “It’s Virgil,” they answered quietly. “I uh... I got a little lonely,” they murmured sheepishly, gripping the sleeve of their sweatshirt nervously. 

Pride quickly softened his expression once he saw it was only Virgil, and strode over quickly. “Love, I told you not to leave, there’s a bit of a situation going on, it’s not safe for you here.” He pressed a quick kiss to Virgil’s forehead, “Come with me, I’ll find somewhere else for you to hide out, the garden is a little… compromised, at the current moment,” he said, starting to tug Virgil in the opposite direction.

“I know—I know I just,” they sighed softly, not being able to help the fact they relaxed some at the affectionate attitude Pride held. “I’m sorry, it was stupid. Can you forgive me?” they asked, tilting their head some. “Whatever is going on, I want to help. Maybe we can work together on whatever is wrong with the garden? I really do like it there. And I’ll stay there this time, until everything blows over? I just,” they paused for a moment, looking down and kicking at some dirt with their shoe, “I don’t know, I just feel safe there,” they finished quietly. “I haven’t felt that safe in a while.” It was a blatant lie, but not a hard one to pull off. 

Internally Pride just wanted to drag Virgil to the safehouse and leave it there, but he still had to play ‘nice’. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face them again, “Of course I can forgive you, you were only looking for me,” he said gently, brushing a stray hair out of its eyes. “I really think it would be best if I found somewhere else for you to stay, but if you promise to stay out of harm’s way, we can go to the garden, okay?” He said it more like a statement than an offer, as Pride’s patience was running thin. 

Virgil perked up at that, a grin spreading across their face. They threw their arms around Pride’s shoulders, saying a few ‘thank you’s and giggling a bit, burying their face into Pride’s shoulder. They pulled away after a minute and started skipping ahead towards the garden, holding Pride’s hand as they did so. 

Christ almighty, he was never going to get used to how touchy feely this thing was. At least it didn’t talk too much. Pride let himself be walked over back to the garden, and decided to press a few questions into it. “Say, you didn’t happen to see or hear anyone else while you were in here, did you?” he asked lightly. 

Virgil pretended to think for a moment, furrowing their eyebrows. Pride knew. Of course he knew. “Actually now that you mention it? I heard some scraping near one of the walls before I left. I didn’t bother to check it out, I just assumed it was one of the squirrels or something,” they shrugged. “I can show you the wall maybe? I don’t know what’s to worry about, but it has to be something if you’re concerned.” 

Pride quirked an eyebrow, “No, there’s no need for that. At least, if it didn’t set off anything on your radar, I’ll take your word for it,” he preened, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of its head before continuing on, reopening the door to the garden. “But nothing else, then? You’re completely certain? It’s important that I know if there’s something off, love.” 

“Not that I noticed, but I can’t be all places at once. It’s possible I missed something. Admittedly, I’ve still been a little dizzy from the kiss earlier,” they answered, mumbling the last part, their face flushing lightly. Truthfully, the kiss had barely left their mind, and they still weren’t sure how to feel about it. 

Pride had a semblance of what Virgil had said, but both to rub it in and to clarify, he asked, “What was that last bit darling? You trailed off there,” he teased, reaching out a hand to tilt Virgil’s face up towards him. “You’re looking a little rosy in the cheeks my love, was it something I said?” 

Virgil felt their face flush a bit more. “I uh, I said I’m still just not over the kiss earlier,” they answered. “It was my first real kiss, not just one on the forehead,” they admitted and shrugged some. Part of it wanted to know how Pride felt about the kiss, even if it knew Pride was lying. It was stupid, but they were hoping for an answer. 

—Meanwhile on Roman’s end—

Roman darted in every room he could find looking for help, but found the castle eerily empty. Eventually he caught sight of Janus down the hall and waved him down as he ran over. “Have you seen Logic or Patton anywhere by any chance? Or Remus, you’re both usually attached at the hip—“ she was aware she probably sounded nuts but now was not the time for pleasantries.

Janus looked at Roman in a bit of confusion, but Janus could be a bit of a master at knowing when someone wasn’t who they said they were. “That wasn’t you before, was it?” he asked bluntly. “Because ‘you’ told them to split up between the east and west wings, to look for Virgil of course.” 

Roman froze for a moment, balled up his fists in midair, and said, “would you excuse me for a moment?” Before turning around, half-shouting the word ‘fuck’, and turning back around to face Janus. Clapping her hands together, Roman spoke again, “Okay, new plan! There’s not really enough time to go run around and find everyone, so you’re going to be my back up. Long story short there’s a new side in the Imagination that looks exactly like me, and he is not here to make friends.”

Janus rolled their eyes and clicked their tongue. “Absolutely not. You trying to figure this shit out got Virgil in trouble, and now you’ve dragged Remus into it. We’re doing this my way, which means let’s hurry up and find those fuckers. Remus shouts wherever they go, and Patton and Logic were sent together. First things first: they’re either helping or getting to somewhere safe.” 

Roman scowled, “I must’ve missed the memo about today being let’s-all-ignore-Roman’s-ideas day, but whatever, sure, I’ll roll with it.” A loud crash was head to her right, along with echoing laughter. “Looks like we found one of them already, and it’s probably better to keep Patton and Logic safe, they’re not exactly built for conflict.”

Janus scoffed softly. “Where have your bright ideas gotten us?” he remarked. “Virgil wasn’t either,” he muttered bitterly, but made no move to dwell on it, stepping quickly towards the noise. Remus had been dragging their mace behind them, managing to break a vase by knocking over the table in the process. “We’ll give Patton and Logic a clear exit path. After that, we won’t waste a second longer.” 

“Look, just because things have gone to shit doesn’t mean it’s all my fault,” Roman grumbled. “And trust me, it wasn’t my idea to send them towards danger, if anything I tried to get them to back off.” Roman couldn’t really imagine that she would be glad to see her brother, and yet here she was anyway. “Alright, there’s this weird garden that Pride made that Virgil’s supposed to be leading him back to, I’ll meet you both there once Logic and Patton are safe.”

“You did a real great job trying. Believe me when I say if they end up hurt in any way, I’m kicking your ass,” he remarked. 

“I’ll take your word for it,” Roman mumbled, as if she wouldn’t kick her own ass first. 

When Janus spotted them, he called over for Remus. Remus hurried over, a hopeful look and a clear question on their face, but Janus started talking before Remus did. “We have to find Logic and Patton. Some fucker is after Virgil, and we need all the help we can get right now,” Janus remarked, not giving anymore context. Any information about how Logic and Patton wouldn’t be actually helping would undoubtedly set Remus off, and anything more about anything else? Just a disaster waiting to happen. Janus knew better than to let Remus think Virgil was in immediate danger. Roman waited to make sure Remus got the memo before backtracking and darting back to the garden. Along the way he summoned a small dagger, and tucked it into his waistline, hidden away from sight. Whatever it cost, she was getting rid of Pride, even if it killed her.

Janus let Roman and Remus split off. It wasn’t the best plan, but even if Janus hated Roman, he knew it wasn’t fair to leave Logan and Patton to fend off on their own. It took a bit to find them and lead them out, and a lot of convincing even then. Janus doubted he’d be joining the twins before some major screw up. Meanwhile, Roman had found her way back to the garden and was waiting just outside the door, poised to strike. Signaling at Remus to wait, (and hoping he would actually listen to her for once) Roman pressed an ear to the wall and listened in on the conversation. 

“I uh, I said I’m still just not over the kiss earlier,” they spoke. “It was my first real kiss, not just one on the forehead,” they followed with.

He tilted his head in mock interest, smiling softly. “That is absolutely adorable, and a shame, truly.” Just to mess with it, Pride lightly pressed his thumb against Virgil’s lower lip, his smile edging towards a smirk. “You simply have the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen,” he hummed, shifting his hand to kiss the other before pulling back after a long moment. 

Remus huffed softly, but let Roman lead, throwing their mace over their shoulder, waiting for Roman to say something. All the while, Janus continued to lead the two away. Patton expressed concern for Roman and Virgil, protesting some, while Logic tried to help convince Patton that it was better off that they stayed out of the way while the others took care of it. 

This was a horrible idea, Roman’s ears were burning; she hated all of this. “How quickly do you think you could commit a murder?” Roman whispered to Remus, anger blazing in her eyes. “I won’t hold it against you, promise.” 

Remus scoffed softly. “I don’t care if you do, but don’t think they’re getting away without the pain of a thousand deaths first. It’ll take seconds to disable him if he’s off guard though,” they answered, willing away their weapons. They leaned their head to each side before bending their fingers a few times. “Let’s do this.” 

Virgil momentarily wonders how many more times their breath can catch in their throat before they simply pass out from lack of oxygen. Couldn’t be a too many more times down. They could feel their face flushing, but they made no move away, feeling a little more desperate than they enjoyed. 

Pride chuckled, “You’re so easily undone, love,” he murmured, kissing them once more before reaching down to intertwine their hands. But something unsettled him, the feeling of unwanted eyes, and Pride glanced at the door suspiciously. He pulled away from Virgil, still holding onto its hand. “We may have an audience here, darling.”

Roman nodded, but kept his dagger tucked away all the same, it never did anyone bad to not be armed. Straightening her back, Roman reached for the door and threw it open, glaring through the entrance at Pride. “The line stops here Pride, back away from Virgil if you know what’s good for you.”


End file.
